Touch the Earth
by addie-cake
Summary: After a tragic accident, one that left young Katie Holt an orphan and Takashi Shirogane both a victim and a new legal guardian, the two have to learn to weave through the struggles of family life such as working through each other's schedules; helping each other with school; and, naturally, finding some new family members along the way. Pre-school!AU, Shallura.
1. Madness to Investigate

Despite the generously lit sign and the vibrant, playful colors painting the innocuous building, Takashi noticed that Katie still clung to the hem of his shirt. The young man threw his gaze down, mostly confused, but also sympathetic. The little girl only occasionally stole a peak at the preschool in front of her, but she would quickly bury her face against Takashi, using the taller man as a barrier between her and her supposed prison.

She was scared, that much was obvious, and Takashi couldn't fault her – so much had changed for Katie in just a few months, and she was hardly adjusting to any of it yet. And to her, she felt as if Takashi had sprung preschool at her out of the blue.

Which, of course, he hadn't; she had been technically enrolled for a long while before the term actually started. But a four year-old couldn't know that.

So, yes, Takashi was essentially the bad guy simply for following directions. He didn't mind, of course, as long as Katie did eventually learn to begrudgingly accept school as a part of life. But there had been so many things she had had to do the same with recently, and Takashi hated bringing another curveball into the child's life. But school was a necessity, an actual and legal obligation he had to adhere to. As much as Takashi was fine with Katie staying home with him, the two of them flipping through picture books and watching _Top Gear_ together, he knew that he had to take Katie to preschool. For her well-being.

And he had a class at nine-thirty that morning. But mostly for Katie's sake.

"You don't have to be scared, Katie," Takashi started, kneeling down beside the little girl. He put on his best smile, making sure to keep it subdued enough to not seem creepy yet encouraging enough to avoid looking forced. Yet, Katie's response of a pursed lip and narrowed eyes informed Takashi that his attempt held little value.

"'m not scared," she responded, folding her arms across her chest. She wasn't fooling anyone, though, not when she couldn't even hold eye contact with Takashi for more than a few seconds. There was an actual amount of fear hidden in her honey-colored eyes, and Takashi felt his heart sink into his stomach.

He had never intended to make her life any more difficult than it had to be, and he certainly hadn't planned on scaring her with preschool. He just wanted to do right by her, right by her family. And, from burnt breakfasts to frightening clown cartoons to a jail cell disguised as a state-regulated preschool, it seemed as if he was doing more harm than good.

On top of all that, Takashi was coming to the crushing realization that life with only one arm was eons more difficult than with two. It had only been four months since – since Katie lost everything and since he lost his arm, and he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he was handling his situation just about as well as Katie was handling hers.

To Katie's credit, though, she wasn't the one who punched a hole in the wall of her rented apartment. No, she was just the one who toddled to the freezer to retrieve a few ice cubes for the idiot (whom she affectionately referred to as "Shiro) who did.

Takashi was only just beginning the fittings for a new prosthetic, and it would be a few more months before he would finally have the finished arm. Selfishly, he was glad for Katie's presence. She was a child, an excitable and curious one, and she gave him something to occupy his time and thoughts. Otherwise, he certainly would have been in a much worse state.

Takashi nodded slowly. "I know you're not; I was just saying that because I'm a bit scared right now, actually," he confessed, and it was only a half-lie. He _was_ nervous for Katie, and he was nervous for himself, too. Classes, whether they be preschool or college, could be intimidating and lonesome. He understood Katie's hesitancy, but he also wanted her to be honest about it.

"You are?" the little girl practically whispered, looking up. Her eyes were huge, her mouth in a thin line, and Takashi had to stop himself from thinking that she too similarly resembled her family. It was just a little too hard, sometimes, seeing a childhood friend and a close family reflected so honestly in a child. Takashi thought sadly to himself that Katie will mostly have stories and hearsay information to gauge her family by, and not her own memories. A few, naturally, but not enough.

"Of course I am. It's a new year of school, and I'm kinda scared to go to class right now. But you wanna know something?" he asked, pausing to wait for Katie's response. The girl nodded and inclined her head a bit closer so she could hear Takashi's words of wisdom. "Just about everyone is scared for their first day of school, no matter how old you get."

This thought seemed novel to Katie, and she bit her lip in thought. "But…you've been to school before," she mumbled, her feet dragging aimlessly across the ground. She was turning over gravel, kicking up a few rocks, but not bothering anything. Takashi righted himself, another action that proved to be more difficult with only one arm. He stumbled for only a moment, finally managing to bring himself back up to a standing position.

"Well, yes, but a new school year makes everyone nervous. Sometimes you have to make new friends, and sometimes you're worried that you're not gonna remember everything. But I'm telling you, this teacher – well, she doesn't have any stars on Yelp yet, but I bet she's really nice." Takashi was sure she _had_ to be a lovely person – after all, Mr. and Mrs. Holt signed Katie up specifically for her class. His certainties were compromised, however, when he failed to find any reviews for her online; but desperation won out over trepidation, and Takashi was left praying that this teacher was suitable.

No, better than suitable – commendable. Takashi wanted Katie to have a _commendable_ preschool teacher.

Katie still seemed unsure, but she nodded, allowing Takashi to grab her hand and lead her inside the building. Planet Altea Preschool, it was called, and the inside was strongly reminiscent of a galaxy. Cut-out stars lined the ceiling and walls, and there were twinkling lights everywhere. Soft cushions that resembled clouds and nebula where scattered along the floor. The carpet was a soft black with sparkling glitter embedded in it, and the walls were a pastel mixture of pinks and blues, with purples and yellows, too. To be honest, Takashi wasn't even sure if _he_ wanted to leave. He and Katie both devoted a few wordless moments to let their eyes travel across the length of the room.

"Good morning!" a chipper voice called. It caught Katie's attention first, and the little girl reverted to hiding behind Takashi once again.

Takashi looked down at Katie in surprise, then back up. Standing in front of him was a young woman, unable to be much older than himself. Her platinum hair was twisted in a romantic sort of braid, a few stray pieces strategically falling out to frame her face. She was watching the pair with her crystal blue eyes, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to reveal dangly earrings designed like crescent moons. Takashi tried to take in as little as he could, tried not to make a scene of staring too obviously, but she was didn't seem to notice either way.

He _was_ relieved, but also disappointed in the sense that she didn't even chance him a second look.

"Are you here for orientation?" she asked, eyes bright and smile wide. Somehow she had managed to find a happy medium between smiling too widely and simply seeming uninterested. She, who was obviously the preschool teacher, looked inviting and friendly. Katie even loosened her grip on Takashi's shirt to get a better look at her.

"Ah, yes, we are," Takashi answered, quickly extending his hand. He noticed the way the teacher's eyes darted to the right side of his body, noting the lack of an arm, then returned to his outstretched arm. She returned the gesture, her handshake firmer than he would've pictured. Her hand was drier than he would've imagined, too. Already, Takashi had gained the opinion that this seemingly gentle and innocent preschool teacher was definitely tougher than her plaited hair and ankle-length skirt had impressed.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both," she greeted, retracting her hand. "I'm Miss Allura." After she had talked a bit more, Takashi was struck with her accent. It certainly wasn't American, but it might have been English, or even an accent from New Zealand. Her voice was melodic nonetheless, and the young man nodded.

"I'm Takashi. Er, Takashi Shirogane," he hastily added, willing himself to simply shut up. "And this is Katie – she's the student, I mean."

Allura let out a small chuckle; it was one without any hint of malice. "Well, I was hoping you weren't one of my new students, Mr. Shirogane."

He laughed along with her, being careful to keep a slight hold on Katie to make sure she didn't wander yet. "No, not today. I _am_ a student, but at college, of course. Not here. I'm sure it's more fun here, though. Don't you think, Katie?"

The child in question didn't respond, just continued to take in the sights of the room.

Allura smiled lightly, and she met Takashi's eyes. "I've already been informed of Katie's situation; and if there's a problem, or you need to pick up Katie early, or if there's a meeting you need to attend, everyone already knows you're the first person to contact." And without missing a beat, she turned to the little girl. "And Katie, you look absolutely beautiful! I love that dress!"

It was true – Katie _was_ dressed to the nines. Takashi had made sure to iron her dress – a neat violet dress with flowers adorning the hem, and he had even tried to shine her yellow Mary Janes (now they were just a touch less dull than before). The pair had argued for a long while over what to do with Katie's hair – Takashi had practically begged her to wear her yellow headband to match the shoes, but Katie was simply not having it. She claimed that headbands gave her headaches, and Takashi had no proof to correct her – he had never worn anything like that in his hair. Eventually, both begrudgingly came to a truce; nestled in Katie's hair was a white barrette. Takashi had liked the yellow one more, but it simply didn't look right against the little girl's shade of hair.

That aside, Takashi was already gratified to see the amount of care Allura had put forth for Katie. If, in a few months, no one had given her a hearty review on Yelp, he made a mental note to issue one for her sake. Allura seemed very sweet and incredibly kind. If anyone was going to make Katie's preschool career tolerable at least, it seemed as if Allura and Planet Altea Preschool were the best choices.

With a sharp clap of the hands, Allura caught both Takashi's and Katie's attentions. "Alright, then, shall we all meet each other?" she asked, and it was a rhetorical question, because everyone was going to meet up anyway. "We've got a very small class this year, so it shouldn't be too hard to learn everyone's names, right? But you're all going to have to help me, because I can be _very_ forgetful," she laughed.

It was then that Takashi noticed just how empty the room was. In fact, there were only three other adults in the room. Two, a large and gentle-looking man and a sweet-faced woman, were kissing a round boy on the head. From just four seconds of looking at the child, Takashi could tell this was a sweet boy, especially by the way he kept a tight hold of his mother's hand while Miss Allura was at the chalkboard, getting ready to write names down.

The other adult was a young, naturally beautiful woman with a hand kept over her swollen stomach. She looked to be quite far along in her pregnancy, yet she managed to wrangle her energetic child in with the utmost of agility. The boy was taller for his age, and his eyes were a dark blue; he wore a sly smile that could tell any perceptive adult that he was the type to be constantly up to something.

Takashi almost didn't notice that, tucked away in the corner of the room, was a black-haired boy who was watching Allura intently. He had his arms crossed, his jacket pulled over his hands. There was no one else beside him, and Takashi inferred that his parents had already left the teacher to do their work. Though for the life of himself, Takashi couldn't imagine leaving Katie alone in her new preschool until she was ready for him to leave. But by the way she was already leading her guardian to a stack of cloud-shaped pillows on the ground, she was nearing that stage sooner and sooner.

Miss Allura had finished writing her name, the letters neat and bubbly, and turned around. "So, then, everyone, my name is Miss Allura. And I want all the children to tell me your names, too, alright? I'll write them up on the board every day for a while so that we can learn them and how to spell them. Also, after you tell me your name, I want you to tell me your favorite color and something you like to do. Alright?"

The only response the teacher received was a far-too-energetic one from Lance. His mother shushed him without even looking over, not unkindly, and Takashi yearned for the day that he could do that – parent without having to hover.

But Allura still took Lance's enthusiasm as a statement from the class as a whole, and she smiled. "So, my favorite color is pink. And something I like to do? Well, I love picking berries in the spring! Who wants to go next?"

To no one's surprise, Lance's little hand shot up in the air in record timing. Allura pointed to him, and the boy boldly stood up. "My name's Lance!" he informed everyone. Dutifully, Allura wrote the name on the chalkboard under her own.

Lance nearly sat down, proud of himself, until Takashi felt a shift of movement, and Katie called out, "What's your favorite color?"

Springing back up, and without missing a beat, Lance said, "Blue. It's cool, like me. And I like to go surfing with Daddy during the summer. Yeah, we go to the ocean!"

The first to clap was Allura; Takashi soon followed suit, and the rest of the class (sans the boy with the red jacked) joined in. The teacher didn't even have to ask who wanted to go next, because the chubbier boy with two parents stood up. His face was sweet, and his hair was dark, and Takashi smiled. It was nice to see how much he looked like his parents, just like Lance would probably follow suit with his mother's lean figure and wavy hair.

Then again, Katie was a dead ringer for her family, and it was just a little painful to look at her sometimes.

"My name's Hunk…and – and I like yellow. Mmm, I like to cook with my mom and dad. And I also like to play with my pet rock, Shay!" he exclaimed, reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out a bumpy-looking stone with a pink bow glued to the top of it. Takashi nearly chuckled at the sweet simplicity that Hunk presented, but he noticed that the other children seemed in awe at the boy's possession. Even Allura seemed both surprised and intrigued by this Shay.

Hunk's name was written under Lance's, and the classroom erupted in applause again. "That was very good, Hunk – you're quick on your feet," Allura said, throwing a smile in his direction. Definitely pleased with himself, Hunk sat down. His father put an encouraging hand on his shoulder, and the little boy relaxed in his chair, hand resting on his pet rock.

Eyes flitting about the room, Allura focused on both Katie and the little boy in the corner. "Who wants to go next?" she asked. And Takashi was nearly certain she was going to have to start picking between them; but to his surprise, Katie hesitantly lifted her arm. She stood up, almost shyly (which Takashi knew she wasn't, but Katie was never the best in public), and took in a deep breath. "I'm Katie Holt, and green is my favorite color. I like playing with my 3DS, too."

Katie received her congratulatory applause from her classmates, and she seemed rather pleased with herself. She sat down, barely sparing a glance at Takashi. But she still looked over, and he gave her a thumbs-up. "That was really good, Katie," he whispered encouragingly. Katie nodded wordlessly, shifting in a bit closer to her guardian. With a quick glance to his wristwatch, Takashi noticed that he still had a few minutes before he absolutely _must_ leave for class. A part of him didn't even want to, because Miss Allura's classroom certainly was more inviting than he even imagined.

He had to give props to the Holts for choosing a wonderful preschool for their daughter. He just wished they could see that Katie actually voluntarily talked in front of a group of strangers.

The only child that hadn't spoken yet was the one in the corner, and everyone's eyes were trained on him. The boy shifted in his position, bringing his knees closer to his chest, nearly burying his head in his arms. It was obvious he didn't want to be there, but what Takashi found worse was that he had no one with him to help.

In hindsight, it was sort of embarrassing to stand up in front of a class of toddlers, but something in Takashi practically pushed the young man up and off the cloud cushion beneath him. Now standing, he looked right over at Keith and offered his best "parent" smile, one similar to the one that Allura had displayed.

"My name is Takashi Shirogane, but Katie here calls me 'Uncle Shiro.' My favorite color is purple. And something I like to do is go stargazing when the skies are really clear. You righting that all down?" he addressed Allura.

The young teacher seemed a bit off-guard, and she merely blinked in response at first. Once she regained her composure, however, she smiled. "Just the name, remember?" she responded, scribbling "Shiro" below Katie's name.

Lance was the first to clap, but the rest of the room soon followed. Hunk's parents nodded appreciatively in Takashi's direction, and Lance's mom grinned to match her son – they were very similar-looking when they smiled, especially together; and Takashi rubbed the back of his neck, sitting down.

Before Allura even had the chance to prompt the mystery student into divulging his information, he looked up. Still sitting, he rattled off, "Keith. Red. Zoos." His voice was quiet, his eyes dark, but it was a response. Allura made a noise of excitement, finishing her list of students with the flourish of her hand. She even nodded in Takashi's direction before putting the piece of chalk down.

As the classroom quieted, Takashi decided it was probably best to follow the rest of the parents out the door. He did have class after all, and he didn't want to be any farther behind than he needed to be. Just raising Katie alone was inevitably going to cause some distraction away from his schoolwork. The least he could do was just _show up_ to class. The young man stood up, catching his balance on one of the low tables. Katie followed him, eyes imploring yet knowing.

"Listen, I gotta leave for just a couple hours, but I'll be back as soon as school's over for you, okay? You're not gonna have to wait for me to show up, I promise," he said, determined that Katie was never going to feel abandoned, even if just for a few minutes.

Around the room, the other children were saying goodbye to their parents. Lance threw his arms around his mother's leg, reaching up to pat her stomach. He said his farewell to his, then whispered one for the baby inside her. Hunk shrugged off his jacket, making sure his pet rock Shay was positioned safely on his table. He let his mom kiss his forehead, and he gratefully accepted a pat on the back from his father. Keith stayed in his corner, still alone, and Takashi really didn't think that was right; but there wasn't much to argue when he had no one to pick a fight with. At a later date, maybe; but he also had to remind himself that it would probably be best to simply stay in his own lane and mind his and Katie's business.

"But I…I don't want you to go," the little girl responded, bowing her head. She wasn't crying, wasn't nearly upset enough for that; but she was a bit distressed. Takashi understood where she was coming from; Katie now liked to know where everyone in her small world was.

And in Katie's world, Takashi was just about it. To not know where he was would be unimaginable and unfathomable. And Takashi could have easily accepted this and made sure the two were never separated, but he also recognized that Katie needed to broaden her horizons with school, despite the fact that she had fought her legal guardian tooth-and-nail over the situation.

That, and the argument eventually lost to the "government regulated" aspect.

"I know you won't, and I don't wanna go; but I promise today will go by super quickly, and you're going to have so much fun with your new friends that you won't even notice I'm gone. And you know what, I think you're going to like it _so_ much that you're going to want to come back every single day."

"Why would I want to?" Katie asked, and the reality hit Takashi that he never quite specified to Katie that preschool (and its subsequent forms) was a permanent fixture in her life. This would certainly not be a one-day adventure, and the little girl probably didn't know that yet.

Taking in a deep breath, which was more of a resigned sigh, Takashi ran a hand through his dark hair. "Um, because you're going to like Miss Allura so much that you're going to want to see her all the time. And your new friends, too. You're going to want to play with them every day, won't you? I mean, look at them – they look like great people!"

Of course, he _was_ referring to a boy with a rock, a boy sitting in the corner of the room _by choice_ , and a boy who was trying to flirt with his teacher who edged him out in age by over a decade. Takashi couldn't blame Katie for the skeptical look she was giving him. After all, she was the only girl in the class, save for Allura; and despite her few quirks, Katie was relatively normal. Preschool was certainly going to be a challenge for her, and Takashi was starting to understand why Katie didn't want him to leave – not just because she was going to miss him, but because she honestly had no clue what to do.

Takashi glanced around, and he caught Allura's eyes. She smiled as if trying to convince him that everything was going to be okay; but now even _he_ wasn't so sure. The young woman obviously sensed his discomfort, because she hurried over to the pair to resolve the situation.

"Katie, we have so much planned for the school year, but we can't possibly do everything in just _one_ day. You're going to have to keep coming back so we can do all the fun things I've picked out for you all. I mean, we're going to have to see how today goes, but we'll decide at the end of the day if you want to come back, alright?" she asked in her gentle voice.

Takashi found himself nodding along with Katie. Allura was very convincing, and very good with children. So much so that Katie rolled her eyes before agreeing to stay for the day. She was determined not to enjoy herself, that much Takashi was certain of; but it was now Allura's job to win Katie over. His part over, Takashi patted Katie on the head, turning for the door.

"Wait-"

Takashi felt a pair of arms wrap around his legs, and he looked down to see Katie there. She glanced up, trying her best to still look angry; she failed, naturally, but she was still cute, most of all. Takashi smiled, kneeling down to quickly return the hug. As he righted himself, Katie exclaimed, "See you later, Shiro!"

What he heard first was a giggle. Allura's laugh was light and sweet, and Takashi quickly turned away so that she couldn't see the heat rising to his cheeks. He didn't mind being teased, not by his friends, but Allura was a bit of a stranger, which made it more embarrassing.

"Yes, see you later, Shiro," she repeated, waving, even if Takashi couldn't see the action.

He was especially glad he had turned as quickly as he did, because his ears now matched the shade of Keith's jacket. If this year was going to be a struggle for Katie, it was most certainly going to pose a challenge for Takashi as well.

 **A.N.: I got the title from a quote from Ptolemy - "Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day, but when I follow the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth; I ascend to Zeus himself to feast me on ambrosia, the food of the gods."**


	2. Reason with Thunder

Allura looked around her classroom, taking in the sight of her new students. They were all so different (and moreover, adorable), yet she had a positive feeling about this. This was going to be as large as her class was going to get, per order from the superintendent, and the new teacher only hoped that she could do a good job this year. This was her first class, her first foray into the world of education – and if it went badly, she was certain it could be her last class.

But these children all looked rather innocent, in their own regards. Yes, Lance looked like he might have a mischievous streak to him, but he seemed relatively harmless. Allura was hopeful that Hunk would be harmless; he seemed quite content to just sit and play with his pet rock, after all – a child that enamored with an inanimate object could hardly be taken as a threat. And Katie was sitting there looking so cute and pretty, and she had seemed so close with that Takashi man; she would probably be the sweetest of them all.

There was also, the fact that Allura felt as if she only had three students to care for. Keith was still sitting in the corner, not saying a word, nor even daring to _look_ at his other peers. This was both unsettling and relieving for Allura; she wasn't going to have to worry about Keith causing problems, and yet, she was also going to have to try to break him out of his shell without causing him too much emotional stress.

She did have her work cut out for her, but Allura felt prepared.

Or, she did, until a sharp knock on the door caught hers and the children's attention. Lance immediately started into repeating, "Who's there? Who is it?" enough to coerce Hunk into saying the same thing. Even Keith's eyes were trained on the door, curiosity obvious on his normally-passive face. Katie had stood up, walking over to join Hunk and Lance. She too was interested in who the mystery stranger could be.

 _Children and their mob mentality,_ Allura thought to herself, rubbing some chalk dust off her hands and on to her skirt before going to answer the door.

Dressed in a painstakingly-ironed periwinkle button-up and sharp black trousers, Coran invited himself in, taking in the sight of the preschool. "Your father didn't lie, Allura; you have decorated impeccably in here," he observed, looking back at her. "So, how's the first day going? Any rabble-rousers yet?"

Allura couldn't even hide her annoyance as she answered, "Our day hadn't even started before you barged in, Coran. But, so far so good." She made sure to keep her eyes on her students, even as she answered. Perhaps this was a trick of Coran's – to see if he could distract her from caring for her responsibilities. It seemed like something the man might do.

Running a hand over his chin, fingers twitching at his ginger mustache, Coran laughed nervously. "Yes, well, I arrived just because the superintendent wanted to see how his _little princess_ was doing." Coran had obviously gained enough confidence to use Allura's father's nickname for her against her. She frowned deeply, trying to choose her words rather than make a scene.

"He's right next door, he could've checked himself."

Coran gave Allura an almost-disappointed look. "Now, you know your father has plenty of work to do without checking on how his daughter's first day of going. So…here I am to give him a status report! And let's see here…" He checked around the room for a bit longer, even stopped to examine Hunk and his lunchbox. The older man knocked on the walls, as if to check for stability, and he returned to Allura, his face unreadable yet his eyes glimmering with an unspoken playfulness he had had since she was old enough to remember. In a second, however, his expression softened. "You're off to a wonderful start, Allura," he told her earnestly, "I can't wait until your father gets to see this room. Now! Let's see who we've all got here-"

Coran kneeled down, and as if on command, Lance scurried over to inspect the newcomer. Allura made a mental note to keep a watch on that one; he would most certainly be a runner.

"Are you a stranger?" the little boy asked, a bit forward, but at least there was a _hint_ of caution in his voice.

Chuckling, Coran smiled. He had a gentle nature to him, if not a bit zany at times. But he had always been a fixture of Allura's mind, and she would be lying if she tried to insist she wasn't thankful for his presence, especially now. "I'm Coran, and I work right next door. I came over to see how everyone's day is going."

A knowing sort of nod, and Lance motioned for Hunk to join him. Now the two boys watched Allura's former (and probably current) babysitter, Lance amused and Hunk trying to match his new friend's attitude. "'m Hunk!" he greeted, and stuck out his tiny hand for the older man to shake.

Coran had always appreciated children with manners, and he gratefully accepted the hand to give it a firm shake. "This one's a gentleman, aren't you? And what have we here, another one in the corner? Oh, and a lovely lady right here! Allura, what a room you've got," he exclaimed, and Allura tried to hide her smile at his enthusiasm. The children were feeding off his excitement, and that much was obvious. And to her own disappointment, she realized that there were still plenty of things she could stand to learn from Coran.

After being addressed, Katie glanced down, playing with her dress, now a bit bashful. She certainly wasn't as bright-eyed as when Takashi had been sitting beside her, and Allura frowned. Such a little girl, losing so much at such a young age – Allura could relate.

It seemed as if Coran was using his telepathic abilities today, because he glanced over at the young teacher without missing a beat. There was a mix of concern and confusion written on his expression, but Allura shook him off. "So, then, this is Katie," she said, and then gesturing to the end of the room, "and that's Keith. Keith – did you want to come over here and play?"

The little boy shook his head vehemently, and both adults quietly huffed. He was antisocial, if anyone ever was. Turning to face Coran, Allura asked, "Any advice?"

"Well, you can't force him to spend time with the others if he doesn't want to. You just have to be encouraging, let him know that he's appreciated and _wanted_. Trust me, and at least try to figure out some of his interests, and you might be able to start a conversation with that," he suggested, and Allura nodded as he talked. Coran usually did know how to talk to children, even the difficult ones. It was what made him an asset to the school district, and probably what encouraged her father to employ him as the guidance counselor for the elementary school across the yard. The older man looked over to the chalkboard, noting the names written down. "What have you learned today, Allura?"

"I learned their names, and their favorite colors, and – and something they like to do!" she nearly screeched, reaching over to give Coran a one-armed hug. "Thank you, Coran, I really appreciate it."

"Sometimes I think you forget it's my job to know these things," he quipped, pushing down on his knees to lift himself off the ground. Allura nearly threw out an arm to help him, but he wasn't _that_ old yet; and Coran definitely would've been more irritated than thankful for her assistance. "I think I've got a pretty clear idea of where you're going so far, and I'll be sure to tell your father as much." He started for the door, then stopped, turning back around and looking the young woman in the eyes. "You're going to do fine, dear," he assured her, his mouth in a small smile. And in a few seconds, he broke the tender moment with a loud, "Then I'm off! I'll be sure to return, children!"

Occasionally, Coran seemed to alternate between a wise yet eccentric mentor, and simply a kooky elf. But Allura did appreciate his faith in her. She took in a long breath, more determined now. "So, that was Coran. You'll probably be seeing a good deal of him this year. But enough of that – we all remember learning each other's names, right?" She waited to see them all (sans Keith – he simply looked up) nod their heads before continuing. "And we're going to learn _lots_ of things this year. Does that sound fun?"

Lance was bouncing up and down excitedly, not so much so that Allura had to scold him, but enough that everyone in the class had their eyes on him. "I wanna learn!" he exclaimed; and beside him, Hunk began to chant the same thing.

In a way, this was a great development; the children had a desire to further their education, to enrich their minds to an extent that they were willing to cause an uproar.

On the other hand, though, Allura _did_ have a bit of a rebellion on her hands.

The noise was growing, especially when Katie joined into the chorus, her high-pitched voice bringing in a chaotic harmony to the boys' echo. Keith said nothing, but he was watching Allura with such a level of intensity that the teacher felt just a bit insecure.

She tried to clap her hands together, to grab their attention, but the attempt was lost on her class. The noise was growing, and Allura was _so_ glad that the pre-school was separate from the elementary school, because her father would most certainly be disappointed in her lack of control.

Of course, Allura did have an ace up her sleeve, but she'd rather not resort to bribery on the very first day of school. And yet, with the way Hunk was beating on the table, and the way Lance and Katie were trying to outdo each other's volume, the young woman decided she had no other choice. With a long, resigned sigh, she ventured over to her desk, pulling out her hefty bag of supplies. Keith was the only one who was still watching her, his dark blue eyes filled with a certain curiosity that almost made Allura laugh.

But in a moment that surprised even his teacher, Keith got up, making his way closer to Allura's desk. He kept a safe distance, but made sure not to lose eye contact. His given attention did not go unnoticed; and in a matter of seconds, Katie had joined the quiet child. She adjusted her glasses, and Allura glanced up, now noticing that the little girl's frames seemed entirely too large for her face (in an endearing way, of course).

Allura dropped the bag onto her desk with a dull _thump_ , noting the way the two children jumped at the motion. There weren't too many heavy things in the tote, and plenty of soft things to cushion the sounds; but the canister of peanuts she kept at the bottom for the sole purpose of her after-school snack certainly made enough of a noise to encourage Lance and Hunk to join their classmates in watching Allura. She glanced up, mischief playing on her expression, and smiled.

If nothing else, they were all quiet now.

Allura sighed heavily, playing into her dramatic nature, and sat down at her desk. She nearly kicked her feet up for effect but opted against it; after all, she _was_ supposed to set a positive example for her darling students. "You know," she began, scanning the room, "learning is _so_ important, but you know what else is? Being good, that's what. When we're good, we have playtime. But – oh, gosh – how can we have playtime if we don't have anything to play with?"

"I have Shay!" Hunk interjected.

"You do, yes. But I'm entirely certain that none of you have what I do in my bag. For this year, I brought along a few toys for you all to play with when we're good. Did you want to see them?" she asked. As per usual, Lance was so ready for the reveal, practically vibrating with excitement. Hunk had placed Shay gently on the table beside him, focused on Allura and the mystery she was hiding. Trying not to seem too engrossed, Keith side-eyed his teacher (though he couldn't quite hide how his hands fidgeted in anticipation). And Katie watched Allura, her glasses sliding down her nose as she dipped her head.

Though she couldn't help but giggle at all of the children's facial expressions, Allura did have a certain fear that they wouldn't even enjoy the surprise. If that were the case, she'd feel both rejected and just disappointed in herself.

"Well, what I have here-" she began, pulling out a plush toy from her bag. With an impressive puff of a lavender mane, a dark purple stuffed lion was presented to the class. "-is a bag of _my_ favorite animal."

"Lion," Keith said suddenly, and his classmates all gave him an inquisitive look. Even Allura had to pause for a moment, before nodding.

He _did_ say he liked zoos. Made sense.

"Perfectly right, Keith!" Allura congratulated, placing the toy on top of her desk, in front of her bag. "But this isn't the only one I have. I have them in _plenty_ of colors, and you know something? All of you can have one, as long as we're all good. Does that seem fair?"

"What other ones do you have?" Keith asked, now perfectly verbal when the topic pertained something that interested him. A little bitterly, Allura thought that Coran had been entirely correct about helping Keith open up. Apparently, animals were his favorite things to talk about. The teacher made a distinctive point to herself that she would make sure to somehow incorporate animals into her…galaxy-themed classroom.

Putting a finger to her chin, pretending to be deep in thought, Allura _hmmmed_. "Well, let's take a look. I have…" she began, pulling another lion, a pleasant lemon-colored one, out and placing it beside the purple one. Without being prompted, she dug into her tote bag and extracted a cherry red lion, petting it on its head before letting it join the line-up. In a few more moments (a few very tense moments, for the students), an emerald lion with a hunter green mane was held up. At this point, Katie's actually dropped open, and it occurred to Allura that her method of underage bribery might actually work.

Well, not so much _bribery_ as rewards.

A "twilight blue" (she had read the name on a paint sample once, and this stuffed animal _was_ the perfect shade to match the celestial name) lion sporting a navy collar of fur completed the row of animals, and Allura placed her hands on her hips, proud of herself.

"Well, then, aren't these all wonderful gifts for you? But remember, you have to be very good to get them; and when you do, you can play with them whenever we have playtime. Even better, you get to take them home! They're yours to keep. Forever." She had considered placing the threat of taking them away if one of the students misbehaved, but Allura felt that punishment a bit too traumatic. "But if you're bad, you can't play with your lion at playtime for one whole day."

The children dutifully nodded, gathering around her desk. Allura had to whisk them away, promising to keep an excellent eye on both her students and the lions. She promised that, as soon as the school day was over, she would distribute the toys. But not a moment sooner.

And, by the way each child easily sat at the tiny tables, all neatly seated, the young teacher had a hopeful thought that her schoolyear was going to continue nicely.

Takashi's first day back to class went exactly as he assumed it would – not too well. Not only did he arrive just a few minutes past rollcall, but he also received a good deal of stares from his peers. Of course, he knew how jarring it must be to see a college-aged student missing a full arm. On top of that, Takashi found it increasingly difficult to focus on note-taking when he was so concerned with how Katie's first day of preschool was going.

He even considered calling Miss Allura's class between his biology lab and his literature lecture, but he willed himself to not. After all, Katie was only going to be held up in class until a bit after noon, but he simply couldn't help but be worried.

A terrible, almost-selfish part of him just wanted Katie to be able to stay in his apartment all day, where he wouldn't have to leave, either. Neither would have to attend class, only sit and watch television and occasionally get off the couch to eat. It wouldn't be the worst idea, certainly, but it also wouldn't have helped Katie thrive any. Preschool was definitely the best decision for her, as it was what her parents had already chosen, but it was also hard for Takashi to completely abide by their setup. After all, the Holts didn't have college classes to worry about; and they were also a married couple.

Neither parent was a barely-adult college student with a hole for an apartment. Takashi was, though.

Oh, but he was trying. Trying to be the very best…whatever he could be for Katie. He wanted to make her smile easily again, to help ease her back into a state of normalcy. Of course, he knew that her life would never go back to how it used to be – she had lost her parents, and her beloved older brother, and that wasn't going to change.

But Takashi was still trying to get Katie to a new sort of normal.

After his British literature session, one that left Takashi cursing Charles Dickens and his so-called classic _Great Expectations_ , he hurried to the bus stop. His backpack was slung over his shoulder, and he swiped his student I.D. at the front of the bus, not even waiting for the affirmative _beep_ from the change machine before sitting down. Takashi had already calculated how many stops it was until his stop for the preschool, and he waited as patiently as possible, even though he bounced his leg up and down incessantly while he bided his time.

As the bus hissed to a stop, Takashi practically jumped out of his seat, thanking the driver before quickly exiting the vehicle. He now wished he had a car; but as a simple college student, he had formerly had no need of such luxuries. And even if he _had_ possessed a car before the accident, his lack of a right arm certainly added a hindrance to driving.

Needless to say, the bus was fine for now. Katie actually enjoyed riding it; she definitely liked getting to insert her bus pass into the change machine every time she hopped on the large vehicle.

Takashi wasn't embarrassingly early, but he was the first parent-slash-legal-guardian to arrive to the preschool. A part of him figured that entering the room would be rude and intrusive, especially since it was Allura's first day. But the more reasonable half of his mind argued that a young man simply loitering around a preschool would read as creepy.

Therefore, he didn't like it, but Takashi knocked on the door, sticking his hand in his pocket immediately afterward, pretending to be nonchalant. He wasn't, of course, because he already felt a steady warmth rise to his cheeks. He was nervous, that much was certain.

In a short while, the door opened, and Allura took a second to recognize Takashi's face. Her expression lit up, and she smiled, leaning a bit against the doorframe.

The thought occurred to Takashi that her eyes were far too bright of a crystal blue, and they were practically criminal. But he swiftly dismissed the notion, mentally reminding himself that he hadn't had an actual romantic relationship since he was a sophomore in high school; and it was simply the idea of an admittedly attractive woman standing in such a close proximity to him that brought the original thought along. Right?

Something to that effect.

"You're early," Allura observed, but she opened the door farther open. "Come in, have a seat – we were just reviewing our days of the week, and I should _hope_ that you can help us." She teased, ushering him inside.

Katie hadn't even noticed that he had walked in at first. She and Hunk were at the chalkboard, trying to decipher the order of the days. Takashi noticed that the names were written on laminated sheets of paper held against the board with magnets. The pair of children had already established that Sunday came first, and Saturday ended the line, but they seemed to be stuck. Takashi seated himself in the back of the room, watching the class interact with each other.

Without missing a beat, Allura made her way back to the front of the room, obviously impressed with the progress Hunk and Katie were already displaying. "Alright, we've got the weekend figured out, so we just need the schooldays in order, right?"

Takashi felt himself sinking down into his chair, relaxing a bit, a smile forming in response to the way the children were interacting with their teacher. Katie and Hunk both watched Allura with wide eyes, nodding emphatically.

"Well, we're going to think of an easy way to remember how they go along-" she started, grabbing her cell phone and pressing the screen a few times. "-And I have a song to remind you all." She tapped the screen again, and an upbeat whistle of a song began. With an excited start, Takashi remembered the tune in a matter of seconds. He had seen _Happy Days_ when he was younger, as it had been one of his grandmother's favorite sitcoms, and he was just a little more than pleased to hear Allura utilizing the song to teach the children.

She was only playing a segment of the song, a part a bit later into the opening theme, and the students shushed themselves to listen.

" _~Sunday, Monday, Happy Days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days, Thursday, Friday, Happy Days – Saturday, what a day! Groovin' all week with you!~"_

With a quick tap of screen, the song stopped, and Takashi couldn't help but laugh. The children seemed to enjoy the tune, evidenced by Lance begging the teacher to play it again. Allura inclined, just once more, then turned to Katie and Hunk.

"So, then, we'll start off easy. First comes Sunday, and after that is Monday." She rearranged the two papers on the board, stepping back to admire her work. "Let's remember that today, okay?" Allura suggested, turning back to face her students.

Hunk seemed fairly pleased with himself. "We got Sunday!" he announced, beaming. He looked over at Katie, who had just noticed Takashi's presence in the room. The little girl mouthed _Shiro_ , but stayed rooted at the front of the room. He did admire her behavior – under any normal circumstance, she would've sprinted over to where he was. This time, however, Katie refused to move.

Something was definitely up.

"You certainly did, you two!" Allura agreed, eyes roaming to the back of the room to check the clock. She made a noise of surprise, then clapped her hands together. "It looks like we're _right_ at the end of our day," she observed, a hint of a mischievous smile on her face. "So…were we all good today? _Shiro_ -" And he started at the nickname, "-what do you think? Were we good?"

He looked at her, then at the pleading eyes of the children, and he grinned. It felt good to smile, an easy smile, especially after such a stressful day at school. "Well, I haven't been here _that_ long, but I think everyone here was great!"

Hunk let out a relieved sigh, leaning against the chalkboard, visibly relaxing. Katie's face lit up, and Takashi opted not to fumble for his phone like an idiot just for the sake of having photo evidence that Katie definitely could smile, even when she was under his watch. Or rather, Allura's. But he _was_ there to witness it.

Retreating to her desk, Allura pulled out…a bunch of stuffed lions? They were all in different colors – red, blue, yellow, green, and purple. Takashi was certainly confused, but the students were practically vibrating with excitement. They must have known something he didn't. Scanning the expanse of children, the teacher picked up a blue lion.

"I don't know if you all knew this, but all these lions have different personalities," Allura explained. "And you see, the blue lion is very…cool. But it's also very energetic, and it's good at making friends. Lance, you can have the blue lion," she offered, holding the prize out to him. Lance ran to the front of the group, gingerly taking the toy from his teacher. He was grinning, showing the stuffed animal to Hunk.

Next, Allura chose the green lion. "And our green lion here is very smart and curious. It also has a playful streak, I'm sure. Katie, this one's for you."

Takashi _did_ take a photo of Katie accepting the stuffed animal. She held it close to her chest, petting its head. He glanced back up, then decided to take a picture of Hunk and Lance observing the blue lion; he considered pocketing his phone again, but this sort of coronation ceremony just had to be documented, the young man felt.

"The red lion is very well-behaved and quiet. And it's very observant, which means it sees _everything_ that happens, and it thinks about everything, too. I think the red lion has a lot to say, though," she explained, handing Keith the toy. Takashi dutifully snapped a photo without anyone's noticing.

"And the yellow lion is _so_ sweet. It treats everyone with the same kindness, and it can always make everyone smile and laugh. Hunk, I think you should have the yellow lion." No one saw Takashi take Hunk's picture.

Allura gasped, because there was still the purple lion left on the table. The teacher _tsked_ under her breath, picking it up. "Oh, the poor thing will be so lonely if we can't give it to anyone, won't it? But I couldn't possibly take it, so who should we give it to? Any suggestions?"

Raising her hand in the air with such a quickness that surprised Takashi, Katie waited patiently for Allura to call on her. Once Allura responded with a, "Katie," the little girl looked back at her guardian. "Shiro was good," she said in a small voice, adjusting her glasses as they slid down on her nose. Takashi shook his head, touched by how sweet Katie could be, but he certainly didn't want Allura to think that he needed to be included in this ceremony of sorts.

Without missing a beat, Allura made a noise of agreement. "You're absolutely right, Katie! Takashi has been very good here, and he even took pictures of you all with your lions! Now, let's see, what's the purple lion like? I think…the purple lion is a very good leader, who is wonderful with children, and it's probably gentle and wise. The purple lion is – well, it's sort of a combination of all the lions. Does that sound right?"

Katie spoke for her class as she took the lion from Allura's arms and handed it to Takashi. "Yeah."

His face felt a little warm, and Takashi was certain that he was turning red, but he gratefully accepted the gift, offering a silent _thank you_ to Allura. She smiled widely, nodding in response. He might have even said something else, but there was a sharp knock on the door, and it alerted Takashi to the fact that the other parents had arrived to pick up their children. Making sure that Katie had her backpack, and had a strong grip on her green lion, he gave a quick farewell to Allura and to rest of the children, and led the way out the door, making sure to allow Lance's mother and her very swollen stomach to enter the room first. He and Katie passed by Hunk's parents, and Hunk's mother even offered a sweet greeting to the pair, almost as if she was acknowledging him as a "fellow parent." Stopping in his tracks, Takashi did the same, lamely lifting up his arm, the purple lion following in the motion.

For a moment, his self-worth won over his usual crippling amount of self-deprecation; and it felt right, to be honest. In fact, a small (and entirely hesitant) part of Takashi believed that he might actually be able to juggle college and Katie. He hoped so, anyway.

Takashi multi-tasked and held onto Katie's hand while still keeping his backpack slung over his shoulder. She didn't struggle, just hummed to herself while still cuddling her little green lion. The two waited at the bus stop for just a few minutes before the yellow vehicle arrived. Takashi let Katie board first, and he followed, letting his young ward choose where they sat.

As the two claimed their seats (toward the front of the bus, so that Katie could get a better look out the windows, Takashi found some time to think. Yes, preschool was definitely turning into a good decision for Katie, Takashi decided. And it might even be beneficial for him, too, considering the little girl wasn't the only person on the bus ride back that was gingerly holding a stuffed lion - the purple lion was cradled safely in the crook of Takashi's arm.

 **A.N.: All the positive feedback for this story was so encouraging, so I definitely wanted to add on to it! This fandom is completely taking over my life! Thanks so much, everyone!**


	3. Ghost of Jupiter

Finally arriving home, and leading Katie up just one flight of stairs, Takashi turned his key in the door, opening up his apartment. Katie practically ran in, gingerly setting her little green lion on the couch. After she completed that task, she looked at Takashi expectantly. He looked down at his arm, noticing that he still had his own lion cradled in the crook of his elbow. "What, do they want to sit together?" he asked, smirking.

Nodding, Katie took the lion from him, placing it beside hers. They really did look nice together, made a good pair. Takashi was still surprised that Miss Allura took the time (and money) to pick out a few stuffed animals that the children would enjoy. It really was a sweet gesture from her, and he made a mental note to thank her for all that later.

"They look comfortable there, but where am I gonna sleep?" he joked, and his smile grew as Katie laughed along with him. She nudged the lions toward the end of the couch, leaving plenty of room for him to lie down. He didn't, of course, mostly because he still had to make dinner and clean up. Katie needed a bath, and he also had to grab her outfit for tomorrow. Then, too, there was homework, and he already had some of that despite it being his first day back to college.

So, naturally, he probably wasn't going to get much sleep at all tonight. Which was fine, because he hardly slept anymore, anyway.

"That's enough room," Katie told him matter-of-factly, and Takashi nodded, setting his backpack on the ground. He never really minded where that thing ended up, so long as Katie didn't trip over it (something she _was_ prone to do).

"You're right, it is," he agreed. Changing the subject, he added, "So, what did you want for dinner?"

He wasn't going to cook anything tonight, mostly because Takashi had been a terrible chef with two arms; one appendage down, and he was content to survive off frozen food and take-out. He would take care of simple things, such as browning meat for tacos, or even the occasional (and always risky) grilled cheese; but usually, if it couldn't be microwaved, it stayed out of the apartment.

"Hot Pocket," she replied without missing a beat. Takashi could've guessed that – those and peanut butter sandwiches would make up Katie's nutritional diet, if Takashi would let her. The little girl truly didn't require too many amenities, and she was generally easy-going. All in all, they made a good team, even if they were stuck together without warning.

A few minutes later, and Katie was sat on the couch with her warmed Hot Pocket, and Takashi lounged beside her; he settled on a frozen pizza, and took a bite – it truly wasn't that good, but it was enough for him. Katie, on the other hand, loved her dinner, savoring the flavor (which Takashi couldn't yet get a grasp on; after all, it was just ham and cheese). She was playing with Takashi's laptop, swiping the touch screen before settling on Netflix. She looked expectantly to Takashi, as if waiting for his approval. He smiled, leaning forward a bit to read her off the titles of the children programs.

After a few minutes of indecision, the two compromised on a silly computer-animated film involving a caterpillar and its quest to become a butterfly. Takashi didn't even mind it, especially not when Katie was watching it so intently. She settled deeper into the couch, her meal finished, and grabbed her green lion, snuggling it against her chest. Without even meaning to, Takashi himself grabbed his stuffed lion, setting it on his knee. Adjusting her glasses, Katie looked over, curious and definitely pleased.

"Do you like yours, Shiro?" she asked, pausing the movie. Takashi nodded, and the thought of Allura thinking to include him in the classroom shenanigans brought a bit of warmth to his cheeks.

"I do, it's really soft. Hey, Katie, what did you think of school?"

Mulling over the question, pursing her lips as she considered the question, Katie responded with a thoughtful, "I liked Miss 'Llura, she was nice. And – and the room was cool."

"Yeah, it looked just like space, didn't it?"

"Yeah!"

Takashi had liked it, too – it had such a theme, and even Allura herself seemed to fit the bill. She looked just like some sort of elegant space princess, with her moonlike hair and crystal blue eyes. The atmosphere was warm and inviting – and the day must've went well, considering how involved Katie had been with the class by the end of the day. He was beyond pleased to see how well Katie was interacting with her classmates, and he could only hope she would blossom even farther from there.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, and Katie resumed playing the movie. It was vibrant, colorful, sweet, and – and obviously a bit too boring for Katie, because Takashi soon felt a weight against his side. The little girl leaned against him, her eyes closed, and her chest rising and falling easily. Her first day of school must have tuckered her out, and Takashi couldn't blame her. He had hardly been able to sleep the night before, either; he was too nervous, too worried for his young ward. But now that the day was over – and it had gone so well – Takashi himself felt exhausted.

He knew he had to find a way to thank Allura for making Katie's first day of preschool so enjoyable. Maybe a gift card, or a handwritten note, an invitation to dinner, a nice plaque for her desk –

Dinner? Where did that silly idea come from?

Takashi groaned, quietly enough so as not to disturb Katie, and leaned his head back. He couldn't possibly be remotely interested in Allura after just one day, less than an hour of actually talking to the poor woman.

No, he knew he wasn't. She just happened to be a beautiful woman who showed a tiny ounce of kindness to a college student down on his luck.

Closing his eyes, Takashi reasoned with himself; yes, the possibility of being attracted to Katie's preschool teacher _would_ be a little troublesome, but it definitely wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to Takashi in the past year.

The young man didn't even have the chance to notice the noise of the movie dying out as the weight of his exhaustion finally won him over, and Takashi slipped into a much-needed sleep.

 _He doesn't even have the time to comprehend the dull pain from his arm – or what used to be there – nor from the reality that he is now attending the funeral of his mentor, and a friend, and his mentor's wife. The crowd in attendance isn't large, but their eyes are all downcast, their minds far away from the preacher's somber voice. He's talking about unfortunate situations, about quiet moments of recollection, about nothing in particular. Takashi hears him, but not really – his mind is racing, his thoughts scrambled._

 _No, Takashi doesn't have the time to worry about himself; he's still reeling over the fact that he is now legally responsible for a toddler. Granted, she's more along the lines of four, but she's still small and fragile and in his care. And he's terrified._

 _Katie is sniffling, her hand clutching Takashi's. She's either not noticed that he only has one hand now, or she simply doesn't care. There is little that Katie understands at such a young age, but she knows that something final is happening, that she's not going to be able to go back to the same house anymore, and that she's not going to see her family anymore. Apparently, a therapist has already explained these facts to her. And to the little girl's credit, she's currently taking it like a trooper. Her face is red and splotchy, but she's not being noisy, and she's not sobbing. Just – just sniffling._

 _Takashi bows his head when the pastor begins his prayer, even though the young man has never considered himself one for prayer, or religion, for that matter. But he is respectful, if nothing else, and he lets the monotone voice fill the room. Takashi keeps one eye open, watching Katie; and his heart sinks just a little more when the little girl doesn't bow her head for prayer. She's just glancing around the room, confused, and probably scared. He can't blame her; this situation is horrifying for him, too._

 _Just a week ago, he was a normal college student (normal, in that he was sleep-deprived and in a constant state of stress and irritation). And now, he's essentially a father to an orphaned child. Takashi doesn't understand why he was named the godfather – he's young, without a well-paying job, and was highly committed to a life of singularity and research. He feels tethered now, and not just because of Katie – one arm is gone, amputated as a result of the same car accident that left Katie parentless and alone. Takashi wants to be good for her, at least a decent guardian, but he knows that he isn't to that place yet._

 _He'd like to stay in his self-deprecation for just a few moments longer, but Katie is squeezing his hand. Takashi looks down, almost afraid of what he'll see. Maybe Katie will have four eyes instead of just two, or she'll have grown two heads in the span of ten minutes. But the child he sees is still Katie, and she almost looks disappointed._

 _And Takashi knows in that second that this judgmental child will be the complete undoing of him. Her eyes, large and honey-colored, search him. He's not for sure of what, but she's obviously and completely unimpressed with her new caretaker._

 _The gravesite is clearing, and condolences are given, and Takashi is given more than one offer to help take care of Katie; and he's told to call if he needs help (and he mentally corrects each good intention to when he needs help). The young man smiles, not too widely and not too falsely, and he thanks each offer and promises to follow up with everyone. A part of him wonders why each old woman and gentle-voiced mechanic that came up to the unlikely pair and reminded Takashi of just how wonderful a man and father Sam Holt was, was not chosen to be the godparent of the youngest member of the Holt family._

 _A bitter part of Takashi thinks that perhaps Sam picked the young man simply to torture him. But he knows that's not the case. Sam was a remarkable man, and so was his wife, and so was his son. And so is Katie, and Takashi is determined to make sure that this little girl is at least somewhat happy._

 _Katie is still staring, and Takashi thinks that maybe he has something on his face, but the little girl suddenly looks down. Her voice is a mess of mumbles and sniffs, but he is able to make out, "…home, Shiro." And of course he has to comply. Takashi nods, his mouth curling at the affectionate nickname, and he wishes he could just scoop the toddler into his arms._

 _But he only has one, so that's not going to work out just yet. And Takashi's mind wanders to physical therapy and college and receiving a prosthetic and making lunch for Katie and finding a place to watch her during the mornings as he's still trying to figure his life out. And then there's finding a job, a better one, one that can actually provide for the lifestyle that Katie should have. His mind is racing again, and this new parental life is absolutely terrifying for him._

" _Home, Shiro."_

 _Her voice is more definite this time, less broken. Takashi can't help but look surprised at the annoyance written on the little girl's face; and if the day weren't so somber, he might have laughed._

" _Okay, Katie, we're going," he assures her, leading her away from the newly-filled graves. They have a few minutes to walk in silence before they make it to the car waiting for them. Of course Takashi isn't cleared to drive; he's lucky to have actually been released from the hospital as soon as he was. At this point, he doesn't mind being carted around like an invalid, because he technically is._

 _Takashi helps the girl into the back seat, filing in right after her. He fumbles a bit with her seatbelt, and her little hand rests on his, clicking the belt into place. He thanks her quietly and goes to fix his own seatbelt – luckily, he proves himself more capable this time around. Katie still keeps her gaze locked on her new guardian, and Takashi suddenly feels self-conscious. He tilts his head to the side, smirking when Katie matches his movement._

" _What're you staring at?" he asks, trying to keep his tone light. A part of him wants to make the conversation easy, maybe give her a little less to have to worry about. He hopes that Katie can move past this horrible stage of her life, never forgetting what happened but refusing to let it consume her. And she won't be able to do that unless he leads a good example. Now resolute, he asks her again, leaning forward a bit._

 _Katie doesn't smile, or even move, for that matter. Just answers with a blunt, "Your face." Takashi blinks, then nods slowly._

" _What's wrong with it?"_

" _Your nose."_

 _Opening his mouth to respond, he stops. Takashi knows what she's referring to. The car accident left him without an arm and with a new and very prominent scar across his face. He feels like a completely different person, and he's shocked that Katie hasn't been horrified of the lack of her Uncle Shiro's arm. But Katie has always been more perceptive than the average toddler. Her father was so proud of her, was so sure that she was going to grow up just like him someday. And she might; Katie is already shaping up to be a smart girl, and Takashi has no doubts whatsoever that she'll be able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to. He hopes to be a part of her life, enough of an influence to help her accomplish any dreams she has or will have._

" _What, is there something wrong with it?" he asks, intentionally brushing against the scar. It doesn't hurt, and he makes sure to make a spectacle of it. "Too big?"_

 _Katie shakes her head quickly. "No."_

" _Too pointy?"_

 _There's a hint of a smile. "No."_

 _Takashi rubs his nose with a confused expression. "So do I have a bunch of bumps on my nose? Is that it?"_

" _No!"_

 _Katie's expression is absolutely hilarious, and Takashi can't help but crack a smile. He ruffles the little girl's hair, relaxing into his seat. "Then what's wrong with me?" he asks._

 _Face falling, Katie bows her head. Takashi immediately regrets pushing any issues with her, because she obviously isn't ready to address any sort of situation related to the accident, even just a simple scar. But still, she cuts her gaze to him, her honey eyes filled with a certain maturity one would never expect from a four year-old. "It's hurt," she says quietly, so softly that Takashi has to lean in to hear her._

 _He finds himself nodding, and he turns his eyes to the window. "Well, it'll get better. And then you won't even notice that it's hurt. Okay?" His tone is gentle, and Katie seems to understand what he's saying._

 _Even so, she stares at his arm, or where it used to be, and her face looks emotionless. "That's…not okay, right?" she asks, and Takashi is grateful that she doesn't think it's just going to grow back in a matter of time. Katie is unlike most children her age, he's noticed; she understands finality, and she accepts it as a reality. That's not to say that she enjoys it in any way, but she's very accepting of the truth of the situation. It's a bit unsettling for a toddler, he thinks, but it's what helps her cope; and truthfully, it's making his life a lot easier._

 _A terrible part of him fears that this will be his and Katie's relationship – him floundering for answers, and her making exceptions for his mistakes. In all reality, she'll probably take care of him as much as he cares for her. And he hates to think that it'll be this way, because he's essentially a parent to her right now._

 _Glancing back at the little girl, Takashi smiles again. "It's not gonna grow back, Katie, but the doctors said they can make me a new arm. So I'll look like Uncle Shiro again. How's that sound?"_

 _The answer pacifies Katie, and she nods. "Sounds better than this."_

 _The rest of the ride is quiet, but it's not tense. Mostly, Takashi is just a bit apprehensive for Katie's reaction to his apartment. It's small, very different from her original home. And the day has already been so stressful for her that he would hate to change too much else. And yet, he'd rather Katie get acquainted with the place sooner rather than later. He secretly hopes it'll decrease the shock value more._

 _To Takashi's credit, his apartment is clean. Immaculate, even. There's a specific order to everything in his small home, and the space is utilized to the fullest. There is a fragment of a living room, connected to the kitchenette, and a pull-out couch. The hole in the wall is what Takashi has been using for a bedroom, but he has already accepted the fact that it'll be Katie's room from now on. The bathroom is located right beside it, and he just hopes she likes it. Or, at least, that she doesn't hate it._

 _All Katie has at this moment is a roll-around suitcase filled with a few articles of clothing, her toiletries, a stuffed animal, and a blanket. Her pillow is tucked under her tiny arm, and she looks around the room with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment, it seems. Takashi sighs, closing the door behind her._

" _So, it's not the biggest, but that's okay for now, right? I mean, I have a little bit of money saved up, and I'm gonna find a job, and then maybe we can move in somewhere bigger, if you want-" Takashi rambles, not quite sure as to why he's actually explaining his entire life plans to a young child. Even so, Katie watches him talk, polite enough not to interrupt him. She's got her own set of manners, that's for certain; and Takashi is grateful that he doesn't have to teach her so many new morals._

 _Katie shrugs, setting her things on the ground. Her honey eyes are trained to the floor, but she doesn't say anything. Her hands free, they ball up at her sides. Takashi can already tell she's upset, and he can't blame her at all. She's in a new home, with a man she knows like a familiar uncle, at best; and she doesn't have her family._

 _And, he grimly reminds himself, she's not going to._

" _Listen, Katie, I promise we're going to figure this out, okay? Together," he promises, offering a small smile. The little girl doesn't return the favor, but she does look up and nods. It's enough of an encouragement for Takashi, and he ruffles her mess of hair. It was neat this morning, but lounging in a car (and her constant playing with it) has thrown it into chaos. Still, Takashi likes her hair – he reminds himself that he'll need to take care to brush it out as often as Mrs. Holt does._

 _Or, did._

 _Takashi picks up Katie's suitcase, carrying it into his bedroom. He sets it on the bed, nearly laughing when the toddler follows him close behind. She definitely doesn't completely trust him yet, not even to keep watch over her belongings. But she's not mean about it, not at all. Just…questioning._

" _Where'm I sleeping?" she asks in a quiet voice. Takashi turns to face her, his expression both jovial and gentle. A part of him wonders how she hasn't figured it out yet – as small as his apartment is, and as hard as trying to care for a little girl will be, he is certainly going to try his very best, and Katie will only, always have the best of what he has._

" _In here, silly," he replies without missing a beat. "And when you need me, I'll be right outside on that little bed, see?" He points out the pull-out couch in the living room, making sure that Katie gets a clear view of where he'll be sleeping._

 _Even without a single therapy session, Takashi knows very well that Katie may have nightmares or just generally bad nights. She doesn't have her parents, or her brother, and she doesn't have her same home or bed. All she'll have is Takashi, and he needs to be able to make himself available for her. It's a good thing, too, that Takashi has always been a very light sleeper. He'll always know if something goes wrong._

 _Katie nods, scrambling onto the bed. "It's soft," she says, bouncing lightly on the mattress. Takashi can't help but chuckle, sitting down beside her._

" _It is," he agrees._

 _There are so many thoughts going through his mind right now. The first, of course, is that he's got his entire future planned for him already. Once an average college student, Takashi Shirogane is now the legal guardian of such a small, opinionated child. Katie is subdued right now – today has been long and tiring for her; but as soon as she regains her steam, her attitude will easily fill the entire apartment (Takashi had spent many a night with the Holt family, and he knows how loud and downright…sassy Katie can be). And then there's the reality that Takashi will still have to attend college, especially if he wants to someday gain a job that'll be able to provide for Katie; she deserves as much._

 _What is more, Takashi is entirely unsure of how he'll even be able to know about what Katie will need. Clothes, of course, when she grows – and he's certain that children grow at rapid rates. (If he's lucky, of course, Katie will stay small or at least grow slowly). And shampoo and toothpaste for children – that's a thing, right? Yes, Takashi thinks so. Oh, and shoes. Feet grow the fastest, and Katie is a runner; she'll wear through her shoes so quickly._

 _All of this requires money, and Takashi is already so lacking in it. And he only has one arm at this point; and although he's supposed to be – going to be, he mentally corrects himself – receiving a prosthetic, there will still be obstacles and tasks he simply won't be able to accomplish. And the very thought of that is frustrating and heartbreaking and shakes him to the core. He might not be the sort of guardian Katie needs, the one she deserves. She'll have questions about her family, because there's only so much understanding a four year-old can possess. And what if he doesn't have the right answers for her?_

 _Takashi feels cold and hot at the same time, and he's surprised he hasn't broken out in a cold sweat yet. A selfish part of him thinks this is all too much, and that maybe he should simply call a social worker and express how incapable he is in raising Katie. She'll get a better family that way, maybe even a father and a mother. At any rate, at least she'll have a guardian that can afford necessities for her._

 _He's yet to figure out all of Sam Holt's intentions for Katie. The best he knows is that, like any child, she'll have to start school, and the academic year is starting soon._

 _A shift of movement catches the young man's attention, and Takashi glances over. Katie has fallen back against the bed, her arms outstretched like a baby starfish. He knows very well this day has been exhausting for her (if it's been anything like it has been for him), and he can't blame her for falling asleep so suddenly. He pushes his arm against his knee, shoving himself off the bed._

 _Perhaps, he thinks, it would be best to simply peruse the Internet to see what sort of preschools would be open to such a late enrollment. Perhaps his – and Katie's – extenuating circumstances will help Takashi's plea. But then again, there is the question for payment. Perhaps the school zone Takashi's apartment is in offers free pre-school? Of course, Takashi knows that is highly unlikely, but he can't help but hope. But with a resolute sigh, Takashi opens his laptop. He decides then that somehow he'll get Katie enrolled in a pre-school, a good one, even. It's still possible that the Holts had a school picked out – in fact, it's even probable._

 _A shimmer of hope begins to shine in the young man. Yes, of course – the Holts would have had to have enrolled Katie in a preschool! Months ago, even. If he could simply call schools around the area, or contact Katie's new social worker, Takashi is certain that he'll find a place for Katie. And, with a small smile, he almost feels bad for the school she's enrolled in. Katie is smart, witty, and sharp to a fault; she'll most likely make teaching her a living nightmare._

Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately) for Takashi, he was still completely and blissfully unaware of how Allura was going to make his own life a nightmare. To be exact, though, she was probably going to make it more like a waking dream.

 **A.N.: It's still super awesome to see that everyone has appreciated this story so far! It's too fun to write! But fun fact: Shiro's dream in this chapter was actually the first draft I had for the first chapter (thus the change in tense). I felt like it was only fair to my own story to include it at least _somewhere_ , and I always feel like dreams happen in the present-tense, so that's why I chose that. **

**Also, the title for this chapter comes from the name of a nebula, Ghost of Jupiter. I thought it definitely fit, considering we're getting a bit more of a view into the events leading up to preschool. But again, thanks for reading! Hope you all enjoyed!**


	4. A Faint Sensation

When his phone blared an annoying yet cheerful alarm tone the next morning, Takashi sat up quickly, shutting off the sound. He nearly lamented over the fact that he used to be the type of college student who could hit the snooze button _at least_ two times before he actually had to get up.

He _could_ have been that college student, but he wasn't. Takashi had always been prompt, an early riser, one who could get his morning work-out in before his first class had even started. Takashi had always been an over-achiever by nature, had never settled for less than that. He recognized how hard he needed to work to keep up with school and work and a social life, and he had actually been pretty decent at multi-tasking.

Now, though, even when he woke up a half an hour earlier than he had a few months ago, he still seemed to fall behind more and more every day. There was something uncertain about trying to get a small child up and ready on time that never quite seemed to work out. With the addition of school, however, Takashi was certain he and Katie were never going to be on time for anything, ever.

He was proven wrong when, upon entering Katie's bedroom, she was already up, leafing through her clothes. She hadn't found an outfit yet, but the concentration was certainly obvious on her face. Takashi tried not to laugh; but he did stand behind her, heaving in a long sigh. "Found anything yet?" he asked, and Katie yelped with surprise.

She turned on her heels, looking more annoyed than actually frightened. Her hair was a mess from sleeping, but she _did_ have her glasses on (which she occasionally forgot to do, and Takashi continuously had to remind her she was going to ruin her eyesight [further, of course]). But her irritated face only lasted for a few moments before she shook her head. Katie held two choices out to her guardian – the first was a powder blue dress with tiny lime green T-Rexes lining the hem of the skirt, and the second was a striped orange shirt and a pair of navy shorts. Both outfits were cute and very _distinctly_ Katie, and Takashi made a humming noise, pretending to be deep in thought.

"You'll look great in both," he reasoned, and the little girl inclined her head in agreement, "but which one is more comfortable? It's gonna be warm today." If he were being honest, he was more partial to the dress because the dinosaurs were absolutely adorable; but he also knew that Katie loved striped patterns.

The girl in question seemed torn between the two choices, looking as if she were making concessions for either option. Eventually, though, she held up the dress. "I like this one," she informed Takashi, laying it on the bed. Takashi concurred, of course; and he made sure that Katie could simply pull the dress over her head before exiting the room.

Another part of Takashi was sincerely grateful Katie chose the dinosaur dress because, if he was thinking of the same outfit, Matt had bought it for his little sister just a few weeks before the accident. But with a quick shake of the head, the young man pushed the thought out of his head, sitting on his makeshift bed of a couch, changing out of his old t-shirt and struggling into a new one.

With only one arm, changing clothes had turned out to be more of a challenge than Takashi could have imagined. T-shirts were fine, and button-ups were simply torture (so he opted away from them); pants, on the other hand, were all pretty terrible. Sweat pants were the easiest to slip into, but he hated looking slouchy under any circumstance, even a medical pretense. With that in mind, Takashi always seemed to grit his teeth, managing on a pair of jeans with the greatest amount of determination he could muster.

But he was clothed, and Katie came running out of her room not much later, her dress swinging as she moved. She looked absolutely darling, but Takashi still had to round her up so he could brush through her hair. He was glad she didn't ask for braids or anything like that (mostly because he wouldn't have been able to manage, anyhow), but Katie wasn't high-maintenance at all and was quite content with her hair simply down at her sides.

Gently pulling the brush through the little girl's hair, Takashi would occasionally stop to fix her brown locks in place. He had absolutely no clue what to do with her bangs, and he let Katie play with them herself, noting that she had just about as much knowledge as he did of how bangs were supposed to lay against one's forehead.

The next part of the morning routine was, naturally, breakfast. Takashi stepped into the kitchenette, his young ward following close after. Opening the freezer, the college student pulled out two packs of frozen pancakes, holding them up so Katie could approve of or reject the option.

To his relief, Katie, who seemed to exist solely on frozen foods anymore, nodded, attempting to snatch one of the packs away from him. She liked to be independent, to heat up her own breakfasts (and lunches and dinners), but Takashi also knew the microwave was still too high for her without a footstool. He shook his head, unwrapping one package and placing the stack of pancakes in the microwave. But Takashi _was_ nice enough to scoop Katie into his arm, holding her up high enough so she could press the buttons.

"Alright, press the one and two zeros, okay? And then the bottom button," he told her. Dutifully, Katie obliged, and the microwave came to life with a soft light and a low buzz. Takashi lowered her to the ground, patting her on the head. "Good job, they're gonna be delicious, huh?" he asked, moving toward a cabinet and pulling out a half-full bottle of maple syrup. It was one of the few foods that weren't strictly a staple that he bought; even without Katie's presence, Takashi Shirogane was an absolutely sucker for buttermilk pancakes.

"Can I pour the syrup, Shiro?" Katie asked, quite sweetly, and he couldn't help but let her. The little girl added a gratuitous amount of syrup to her meal, and Takashi started to worry that she was going to get her hair or her dress all sticky. In order to prevent that, he stuck a paper towel in the front of her dress, pulling her hair toward her back.

The two ate quickly, both managing to stay relatively clean. Picking up their paper plates, Takashi deposited them into the trash can, placing the forks in the sink. He made sure Katie had her backpack, then ushered her into the bathroom so she could brush her teeth before they left. He waited out the door for her to finish so he could do the same. In a matter of minutes, both students were completely clothed, fed, and at an appropriate level of hygiene; grabbing his own bag, Takashi led the way out the door, Katie following close behind.

They had to come back into the apartment, of course, when Katie realized they had both forgotten their stuffed lions. Miss Allura would certainly want to see that the gifts had been appreciated, that they had safely made it back to the classroom. Of course, the lions were theirs to keep, but Katie had made it apparent that she wanted it for recess.

And maybe a small part of Takashi wanted to bring the purple one into class so Allura might actually notice. But only a small part.

The bus ride seemed short, and as the pair was stepping off the bus, both thanking the driver as they slipped out the doors, Takashi checked his phone and was pleasantly surprised to see that he and Katie were actually, for once, on time. Or rather, they were entirely early. The tiny brunette grabbed his hand, dragging Takashi toward the preschool.

Outside the building was Allura, one-handedly typing on her phone, multitasking as she chewed on a granola bar. She glanced up, eyes widening for a moment before she swallowed her bite, waving. Katie let go of Takashi's hand, returning the gesture, and Takashi smiled.

Once again, Allura looked lovely. She was wearing a cold-shoulder dress that hit just below the knees, the royal purple color contrasting with her skin tone tremendously. Her hair was pulled in a loose bun, a few strands falling to frame her face. Reminding himself to breathe, Takashi stopped in front of her, momentarily (and guiltily) forgetting that Katie was standing right beside him.

He tried not to look her up and down as if she were a piece of meat, so he focused on simply staring at her eyes. This was a mistake, of course, because those were just as shimmery and sparkling as he remembered. Losing the ability to speak for just a few moments, Takashi finally found his voice, managing a lame, "You match."

Eyes flicking toward Katie, Allura's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "Umm…" she started, brushing a loose piece of hair away, probably trying not to look rude. For a few seconds, Takashi couldn't even understand why she was so confused; but with a rush of realization, he realized he hadn't bothered to clarify his statement.

Stammering, face beginning to paint itself a nice shade of red, Takashi added, "The – the lion. You – uh – you match the lion. My lion. They're both purple. O-or, it's purple, and you're purple. I mean, y-you're _wearing_ purple, and the lion – my lion – is also purple." He hoped he didn't sound as embarrassing as he thought he did.

The way Allura just stared at him, though, told him he definitely _did_ sound like an idiot. But she recovered nicely, nodding, face brightening. "Yes, of course we do! Purple's one of my favorite colors, you know."

"Uh, mine, too," he responded, a small smile finding its way onto his lips. Allura did the same, and she took another bite of her granola bar. She put her phone away, letting it slip into her pocket, then looked back up at Takashi and Katie. "I mean, I'm really thankful for the lion. You – you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," she cut him off, and her smile was so natural, her expression so soft and sweet. She turned her attention to Katie, kneeling down just a bit. "And you look so pretty today!" Allura exclaimed, admiring the trim on the little girl's dress. "I just love the dinosaurs!"

Katie seemed suddenly bashful, ducking her head a bit lower. "Thanks," she muttered, grabbing onto Takashi's arm. He made a small noise of surprise but was quite content to let Katie hold onto him.

"It's still pretty early, but you two are free to come in and sit," Allura offered, turning to open the door. She opened it, allowing Takashi and Katie to pass through, shutting it behind her. The room was still as fun and colorful as the day before, and Katie was quick to find a beanbag chair to lounge in. Allura, on the other hand, leaned on the edge of her desk and picked up a bottle of water, taking a long swig of it. Takashi tried to focus on the walls, then the ceiling, but his eyes eventually found their way back to Allura.

There must've been something magnetic about her, he tried to reason with himself; or maybe it was the color of her dress – it certainly was a beautiful color. It couldn't have been her eyes, or her platinum hair, or her face, and it _definitely_ wasn't her smile that made him feel weak in the knees. No, Allura just knew how to dress, and he was…he was impressed. Of course that was it.

With an inward sigh, however, Takashi was quite aware of the fact that he couldn't care less what sort of color the young woman chose to wear – no, he was attracted to her. After only a day, just twenty-four hours, he found himself wanting to spend more time near Allura. But now was such an awful time for him, and for Katie. Not only was the little girl still adjusting to being without her actual family, but she was also getting used to living with just Takashi; it would be unfair and unthinkable to consider forcing Katie to include Allura in her inverted world now.

And again, there was the matter of Takashi himself. He could hardly handle his and Katie's lives; a romantic relationship would most likely be too much for him to handle. That, and he was still trying to figure out how to live with just one arm, trying to focus on recovering. At this point, he just couldn't fathom dating.

Of course, Takashi was also very well aware that Allura thought him strange, and was most likely not at all interested in a personal relationship with Takashi, let alone simply spending time with him. But at least she was polite and would never outright say anything to him. She would probably just opt to ignore him as much as possible.

"So, _Shiro_ ," Alura started, her voice changing as she said the nickname. Takashi couldn't quite place the tone, but if he didn't know any better, she would've thought she was teasing him. "What did you think about school yesterday?"

A bit surprised by the question, the young man blinked, but covered his shock with a smile. "Well, I think you've got a great set-up in here; I really like all the colors, and the space theme, and the kids all really seem to like you, too…" At this point (granted, it had only been a day), he couldn't find anything about Allura to fault her with. She was friendly and energetic, and she really knew how to decorate a room.

She nodded thoughtfully, looking over to make sure Katie wasn't paying much attention. The little girl wasn't, too preoccupied with showing her stuffed lion around the room. Turning back to Takashi, Allura laughed lightly. "To be honest with you, I was a nervous wreck yesterday. I mean, it's my very first class, and if I'm being honest, I don't even know if I'm completely ready myself. But – but I just really love the children, and they're all so sweet, and Katie just seems to adore you-"

She was rambling, hands moving as she talked. But Allura caught herself, and she took a long breath to center her thoughts. "What I'm saying is, I'm sure you don't have your utmost confidence in me yet, and I'm not entirely at ease right now, either, but – but it's a learning curve, and we'll all figure it out together, just – just give me a chance."

Takashi made a noise of surprise, expression softening greatly, and he shook his head. "To be fair, I'm pretty nervous about everything right now; but I'm much less worried about how you're going to take care of the class. I'm sure you'll do a great job, and if you need anything, just ask."

"I don't want you to wear yourself ragged," she warned, not threateningly – it was more of a playful sort of statement. "You've got plenty on your plate as it is, don't you?"

Nodding, he sat on the edge of one of the low tables, so grateful it didn't simply tip over as soon as he sat down. "I do, but I've always got a lot to do, even before Katie. But, um, I don't have classes on Fridays, so if you needed something on a Friday, I could do that. Or – or any other day of the week, too, but I'm free on Fridays, so…so you get it," he finished lamely, hanging his head. He simply couldn't find the right words to say around Allura, but she didn't seem to mind this time.

In fact, she looked thankful. "I really appreciate that, Takashi, thank you. Maybe I'll just have to have you come in as a teacher's assistant on Fridays, huh?" she giggled, and the noise caught Katie's attention. The little girl looked up, curiosity playing on her expression. "But anyway, how're you doing this morning?" Allura asked Katie.

"'m good," she answered, walking up to the desk to join her teacher and Takashi. "So's Green."

Allura grinned, straightening up. "Well, I'm very glad to hear that! So you've been taking good care of Green, huh?" Katie nodded in answer. "You know, I'm sure Green misses the other lions; I hope everyone remembered to bring theirs-"

As soon as she said that, there was a sharp, soft knock on the door. Smoothing out her skirt, Allura went to answer the door, the bracelets on her wrists jingling with her movements. Opening the door, the teacher greeted Keith. He had his backback, his lion, and a neutral expression on his face. "Good morning, Keith, how're we doing today?" Allura greeted cheerfully.

Keith nodded, holding the red lion closer to him. "Good," he answered, his response matching Katie's. It occurred to Takashi that children always said they were _good_ , even if they weren't. But the little boy seemed to be in a much better, more talkative mood today than he did yesterday. Which is to say, he'd already said one more word within the first minute of being back to Planet Altea than he had in the first twenty minutes yesterday.

"And how's the lion? Good night yesterday?" she asked, prodding the boy to answer just one more question.

"Not bad."

Allura gave a thumbs-up, but her pose was stuck in the air for a few extra seconds, because Keith stopped right in front of Takashi, looking right at him. The young man tried to hide his shock, but it was pretty hard when Keith, who had yet to talk much, let alone engage with anyone, stood right there, watching Takashi expectantly.

"What's up?" Takashi asked, chancing to look at Katie, who seemed just as surprised by this change of pace. Of course, Keith was in no way threatening, nor was he even creepy. He was just anti-social, and it caught Takashi as odd that the young child was so focused on him.

"How's yours?" Keith asked, suddenly quite bold. His voice, when used, came out as a strong sound, and not as a raspy whisper as Takashi had imagined. In fact, he sounded like any normal preschooler.

It only took a few moments for Takashi to register that Keith was asking about the purple lion, making sure that it was alright. The question was sweet, especially when the child had showed little interest in anything that _didn't_ pertain to animals, or a zoo. It was becoming increasingly apparent that lions were his favorite, and Takashi noticed out of the corner of his eye Allura scribbling something down in a nearby notebook.

Smiling, Takashi leaned down, so he and Keith were at the same eye level. "He's doing really well; we had pancakes for breakfast," he said, not sure if this answer was going to appease Keith. But it seemed to, because the raven-haired child nodded, leaving the bewildered college student in favor of playing with Katie. She was happy to get to do something other than listening to Takashi and Miss Allura babble to each other about unimportant things, and she followed Keith to the part of the room where all the other toys were kept. The two gladly played with a kitchen set, teaching the lions how to properly bake a tray of cookies.

Allura laughed at the display, the sound sweet and melodic. Takashi looked over, also amused, and moved a bit closer to the teacher. "Katie likes cooking at home," he informed the young woman, and Allura nodded.

"That's good to know. To tell you the truth, I hated helping my mother in the kitchen when I was younger. I mean, I helped if I had to, but I would've liked to have been anywhere else," she confessed. "I can bake now, but I hate cooking actual meals. I'm fine just eating-"

"Frozen meals?" Takashi interjected, a sly sort of smile playing on his features. To Allura's favor, he was too oblivious to notice the way the young teacher had stopped for just a moment to take in the sight of his playful expression. He was a handsome man, and she had noticed it the first day, as soon as he walked into the room. But he was also a bit bumbling, and just a tad awkward; his smile, though, was something she wouldn't have minded seeing again.

But of course, Takashi was too invested in the conversation to realize that he might have actually floored Allura, if just for a moment. Recovering easily, she made a noise of agreement. "Yes, I practically live on Hot Pockets and – and these stupid granola bars." She held up the wrapper, turning it so that he could read. It was a generic brand, one that tasted vaguely of cardboard and dusty chocolate, and Takashi gave a sympathetic sigh.

"We've all been there." He righted himself completely, so that he could stand at his full height; he was only a few inches taller than she was, but Allura still had to tilt her head up to look him in the eyes. "But hey, you only know you've hit rock bottom when you start to buy those single-packs of the macaroni cups with the cartoon characters on them."

Allura made a face. "I've got Star Wars ones at home," she admitted, her voice soft, in a guilty yet joking sort of mumble. "And for your information, they're quite delicious."

"Oh, I know they are. That's why I buy them – Katie and I've got Spongebob _and_ Finding Dory." He was pretending to brag, as if the type of the macaroni cup was a big deal, but Allura kept the scene, acting as if she were both impressed and offended.

"Well, then, I suppose I might have to steal some."

"Good luck. I took martial arts when I was seven, so I could probably fend a thief off."

Allura shook her head, fake cockiness evident in her voice. "I took karate until I was seven _teen_ , so I might have an advantage over you."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's one you'll lose."

He nearly responded with something else, something that may have toed the line between acquaintances and friends and even that line between a teacher and someone he wanted to flirt with on a regular basis, but the door opened without even a warning knock, and Lance sauntered in, followed by his mother. Even for such an early time in the morning, he was full of energy, greeting Allura and Takashi, and then joining Katie and Keith without missing a beat. He too brought his stuffed lion, and it was soon inundated into the amateur cooking class.

Lance's mother hung the boy's backpack on the hook that had his name over it, and she walked up to Allura's desk. She looked nice this morning, her hair pulled back in an intentionally messy ponytail, her bouncy curls falling in front of and around her face. The plaid shirt she wore hugged her baby bump well, and Takashi was left wondering just how long she had left. She moved around remarkably gracefully for someone who was well into her pregnancy, but there was still an obvious discomfort to her general walking.

Allura grinned, closing the distance, and welcoming the woman. The two talked for about three minutes, about how Lance loved his first day of school, and Allura asked how the woman was feeling, and of course, she's doing very well. Takashi sighed, mostly to himself, almost glad that he had been interrupted, but also disappointed. He _had_ meant to say something, something incredibly cheesy along the lines of _Maybe you should come over so we can find out_ , but it more than certainly would have offended or scared off Allura.

In short, he was glad he didn't embarrass himself, but he was also upset he simply couldn't find it in himself to be so bold.

When Hunk arrived, yellow lion in one arm and Shay in the other hand, Takashi decided it was time for him to leave. He patted Katie on the shoulder, and the little girl gave him a quick hug before returning to her kitchenette. The other three children also bid their farewells to the college students, Keith making sure to remind him to take the purple lion with him. Takashi nodded, chuckling at the sentiment; and Hunk, in the straightest face a child at his age could muster, told him not to joke about things like that. Katie and Lance too seemed disappointed in Takashi but chose not to say anything.

Takashi left without saying goodbye to Allura, sure the class would explain to her where he left. That is, of course, if she even bothered to ask.

She did notice, but he was already on the bus to class and again, was unaware that Allura minded how he looked or where he went.

Knocking on the door to Planet Altea, Takashi shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had had a decent day, had managed to get all of his homework done and turned in, and hic classes had been much less awkward today than they had been yesterday.

He was greeted by Allura's face, and the young woman smiled widely. "Nice of you to join us, Takashi," she said, leading him in. Katie waved energetically, and the other children stopped what they were doing at the board to watch their guest. He was starting to become a permanent fixture of the classroom, and Takashi almost felt self-conscious. Of course, no one minded his presence; in fact, he was wanted. The children loved him, and Allura liked having another adult in the room, if only for about a half an hour out of the day.

He let them all play with the purple lion while he and Allura discussed the day. The students had requested (or rather, demanded) the _Happy Days_ song, and they had even played with a color wheel while Allura quizzed them on the different shades; she was pleased to announce they were all very good with their colors, especially Katie, who could shoot off the names as if they were nothing.

Takashi smiled at this information, glad that Katie was already excelling at school. He and Allura watched the children play while they waited for the rest of the parents to arrive, and Allura handed him another one of her generic protein bars. He took it, thanking her, and made a face when he bit into it. Of course, the reaction was mostly for effect, but it was enough to excite laughter from both adults.

They hadn't noticed the students instead watching them, or they might have been more aware of themselves. Rather, Lance elbowed Keith, making a 'kissy' face. Hunk, and even Keith, both laughed, and Katie made a disgusted expression. Her Shiro was definitely an odd one, super weird, even if he wasn't aware of it yet. Aside from missing her older brother simply for the fact that she wanted him back in her life, she missed Matt because he was always there to remind Shiro that he was awkward.

Lance's mom came first, and the brunet waved to his friends as he gathered the blue lion in his arms. Hunk left with his parents only a few minutes later, but he had to run back inside the room after he remembered that he had forgotten to grab Shay from his table. Keith sauntered out of the room not long after, and Allura had run out of the room to make sure he actually left with his family (which he did).

And Katie? Well, she didn't get to leave until thirty-five minutes later, when Shiro and Miss Allura were finally done talking to each other.

 **A.N.: Once again, thanks so much for all the sweet reviews and positive feedback! It's really made writing this story so much more fun! As a side note, I hope no one thinks Shiro is an irresponsible parent in this chapter; he and Allura are just young people who like to talk. ^^ Again, thanks so much!**

 **The title of this chapter comes from a quote from Carl Sagan – "The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us - there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, or falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries."**


	5. Things That Now Lie Hidden

One week later, and Takashi found himself in quite the similar place he had been when Katie first started preschool. His classes were the same, mundane, even; and his relationship with Allura hadn't changed much more from the initial flirting. He half-suspected that she simply wasn't interested and had just been humoring him for the past week. Knowing, though, that this notion was both a slight on his part _and_ Allura's, he tried to convince himself he was wrong.

This was, of course, a very hard task when one possessed Takashi's sort of self-confidence. Even before the accident, before he lost an arm, he had never been bold about anything. Takashi was smart, often a favorite of the teachers, but lacking in both friends and romantic pursuits.

He and Matt, however, had hit it off from the first day. They were in the same biology class, had been lab partners from the first lecture. Takashi wasn't sure if it was the easy way Matt talked, or the simplicity of his personality, but they had instantly grown attached to each other. Matt was an engineering major, opting to take an introductory biology course to fill a general education requirement. Takashi was a year ahead of Matt (which made absolutely no difference whatsoever) and was initially undecided.

He knew he liked science, all types of the subject, but he wasn't sure which branch he wanted to follow. And Matt had been very helpful, especially since his father had already been through the exact same engineering program at the same college Takashi and Matt attended (Mr. Holt had, though, transferred to a bigger and more advantageous school after two years in the local area). Matt had been planning on doing the same, but then…

Katie's rummaging around in her room knocked Takashi out of his reverie. He followed the sound to see the little girl trying to pick out an outfit while pushing her air out of her face. Recently, and this past week especially, Katie had grown increasingly more frustrated with her long locks, frequently lamenting over how much she hated her hair. Takashi tried to convince her that her hair was beautiful, which it _was_ , but Katie would have none of his compliments.

She was a Holt, and when Holts were certain of something, they made it known and never let the subject drop.

"What're we thinking about today?" Takashi asked, leaning against the doorframe. Katie was still in her pajamas, shaking her head at Takashi's question. She didn't even have anything laid out this time, instead crossing the room to face her guardian.

"Shiro…" she started, almost looking nervous. Katie didn't make eye contact, instead choosing to look at the edge of the bed, and Takashi worried that she had broken something or maybe even hurt herself. But she didn't seem guilty so much as just anxious.

Kneeling down, Takashi lowered himself to eye level with the young girl. He smiled warmly, trying to be inviting. "What is it? Don't have enough clothes?" he laughed, because they both knew very well that Katie had plenty of outfits. But Katie just kept shaking her head, and it was too obvious to Takashi that she was frustrated with something. Sobering up, he asked, "What's wrong, Katie?"

"Wanna cut m'hair," she mumbled after a long pause. She seemed worried, perhaps because she was convinced he was going to tell her she couldn't. Katie finally made eye contact, and was surprised to see Takashi smile.

If Takashi were being honest with himself, he would admit that her hair _was_ becoming problematic, for both of them. Katie didn't like the length anymore, and it was hard for Takashi to keep up with. He had been no hair stylist to begin with, and having one less arm than most people did made it only that much more difficult.

But there was a part of the young man that couldn't even fathom letting Katie cut her hair. He supposed it was because Mrs. Holt had always been so proud of her daughter's long hair; the woman had been a master of French braids, of Dutch braids, of fishtail braids, of four or five-strand braids – of any other braid that Takashi cared to actually know about. She had had long, gentle fingers that had easily carded through her daughter's light brown hair, and Katie hardly ever opposed her mother's styling of her hair. Takashi, on the other hand – the little girl _always_ seemed to find some way to try to fight off her guardian's well-intentioned attempts.

So selfishly, he completely agreed with Katie; her hair would be so much simpler to manage if it were shorter. Yet, he was also convinced that Mrs. Holt would have never forgiven him if he actually let the young girl decided what should happen to her hair.

He needed advice, from a woman, and desperately.

Allura was wearing red, and Takashi nearly died. Her hair was pulled to the side in a wavy ponytail, and her earrings, a cluster of dangly stars, were visible. The teacher wore a crimson swing dress, one that hit below the knees and flared just a bit when she moved. Upon seeing Takashi and Katie, she stood up, smoothing out her skirt, and approached the two.

This morning, there was no protein bar, but she had been taking dainty bites from a tiny instant oatmeal cup. Takashi observed that, yes, Allura had just about as few resources for breakfast foods that he did; but she somehow managed to still choose the healthier options. Still, the young man waved, taking in a long breath, willing himself not to look too silly in front of her.

He succeeded for all of four seconds before blurting out a sweet yet lame, "You look nice this morning."

"Just this one?" she teased, sending a wink toward Katie's direction. The little girl couldn't hold back her chuckle, and Takashi tried not to notice. He was certain that Allura was just giving him a hard time, but it didn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks and spread to his ears.

"You look nice every morning," he amended, and his smile was a bit easier.

"What about in the afternoon?"

Takashi didn't respond until Katie left to go play with a stack of blocks on the other side of the room, dragging her green lion with her. Once she was out of a direct earshot, however, he answered with a quiet, "You look even nicer in the afternoon."

Smirking, Allura decided that it would be both impossible and foolish to let Takashi off the chain so easily. "And what about after that?"

"I haven't seen you in the evening, so how am I supposed to know?" His question was genuine, a little flirtatious, and it was enough for Takashi, dense as he could be, to see a cheeky reply cross Allura's face before she decided against saying it.

 _Maybe you should find out._

She settled for a laugh, tapping him on the shoulder. "I think I've contributed to a growing ego. Shame on me."

He joined in on the notion, leaning back against her desk. "It's a real tragedy, honestly. I'm usually much more introverted." He watched as Allura nodded, seeming to agree with him, before he switched the conversation to a bit more of a serious topic. "So, I needed some advice from a more…womanly figure, and I-"

"You're free to ask," the young woman interrupted, brushing her hair away from her face. She didn't seem surprised that he needed her help, just looked understanding. Takashi sighed and ran his hand through his hair. A part of him wasn't even sure why he was so apprehensive about Katie's request; _he_ was her guardian, and if he wanted her to have a haircut, there would be no interference. Besides, Katie had been the one to ask for her hair to be cut – the idea wasn't even a selfish notion on Takashi's part.

And yet, he still couldn't shake the idea that it was wrong for him to try to assume such a parental role in Katie's life. Granted, she really didn't have anyone else to depend on, but being a guardian of any sort was still a foreign concept for him.

Allura broke him out of his introspection by clearing her throat. She was a bit more serious-looking, but there was still a twinkle in her eye that reminded the young man of something akin to a tease.

Takashi offered a guilty smile and cleared his throat. "So this morning, Katie was in her room, and – and we weren't even _trying_ to do anything to her hair yet, but she just asked me if we could get it cut. And, yeah, I really, really suck at doing her hair – I mean, I'm sure you've noticed that I'm really only good at brushing it out and kind of putting it in a ponytail – but I still kind of – I don't know." He took in a long breath, trying to find his words again. "I just – I feel kind of bad about it, you know?"

Katie was still very much invested in playing with the building of her block tower; every time it was at an acceptable height, Katie would guide the green lion to knock over the structure. Both adults cringed at the resulting sound of the crashing tower, and Allura glanced back at Takashi.

"Why would you feel bad? She'd look adorable with short hair, you know?" the teacher told him matter-of-factly. Takashi nodded, certain of that fact, if nothing else.

"That's not it. I know she'd look fine. It's just – Mrs. Holt really liked Katie's hair; she was always braiding her hair or putting it up or something, and I – I just can't do that. I've never had to deal with girls, and I-" he glanced down at his left arm, then looked at his right shoulder. "I can't do that," he repeated.

Sighing, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it gently, Allura caught Takashi's gaze, keeping eye contact. It was easy for him, of course, to find himself watching her quite intently, when she had eyes that were as blue as hers were. Her mouth curled upward slightly. "I'm sure Katie doesn't want to cut her hair just because you're not as good at doing it. I mean, it might be a _small_ part of the reason," she joked, "but I think she's just tired of the long hair. Trust me, I've seen her pushing it out of her face all the time at school. It can be hard to manage, especially at this age. Just make sure it's what she really wants, and support her decision. And if she hates it, it'll grow back."

"You're…you're good at this-"

"I've had my fair share of bad haircuts," Allura mentioned, but Takashi simply couldn't believe her. "I know my way around a barber shop. It's a good idea to find a picture online of the sort of haircut she wants, or you could find one of those magazines at the store, or – or you probably have a good idea of what you should do, now," she mumbled, finishing her statement as lamely as Takashi might have.

What surprised him more, though, was her expression. It was, if he wasn't mistaken, a nervous one. Perhaps she felt as if she had overstepped her boundaries, which was the general emotion Takashi seemed to feel at most times. He still wasn't sure how to approach Katie half the time; and it was almost encouraging to see someone else thinking on a similar vein.

"No, you're more help than you could imagine," he reassured her, and squeezed her hand this time. It was then that both adults seemed to realize that they were still holding hands. Allura pulled her hand away, not as if she were burnt, but still quickly.

"I don't suppose holding hands with the teacher was your idea of the morning," she laughed.

"I could think of worse things," he admitted, and Allura's reaction (eyes widening, mouth going slack for a moment) nearly made him chuckle.

Though, he was sure he mirrored her face, due to the fact he couldn't quite believe he actually said that out loud.

Neither could Katie, apparently – a small fit of giggles reminded the adults that there _was_ a child in the room, and she was thoroughly amused by their antics. It only made sense, of course; both Takashi and Allura were both red in the face, and neither could accurately form a complete sentence for at least a full minute.

Before Takashi could further embarrass himself, Lance and his mother entered the room. They might've knocked, had his mother beat her child to the door. The young boy, on the other hand, hadn't quite learned the socially-accepted constructed of knocking. Both looked confused as they entered the room; Katie was laughing, and Takashi and Allura were caught in an awkward sort of stare-off.

Eventually, Allura broke the silence; she hurried away from Takashi, plastering a smile on her face. "Mrs. McClain, how are you?" she asked, quite energetically.

While he should have been focusing on pulling himself together like an acceptable and respectable human being, Takashi was instead mulling over the fact that he had _actually_ and shamelessly flirted with Katie's preschool teacher.

That, and Lance's last name was apparently _McClain_. Which is a nice name, of course, but Takashi had just never put any thought into what it was. For that matter, he didn't know any of the other children's surnames.

Takashi made his way to observe Katie and Lance, and the two were talking quietly to each other, each showing off their lions and the subsequent destruction they could cause.

When Hunk showed up, however, he made a point of showing all the good the lions could do, too. The little boy held the yellow lion close to his chest, refusing to partake in the destruction of the city made of building blocks. He looked nearly affronted, even, when the blue lion crashed into a stubby building near Hunk's knees.

"Guys, _guys_ ," Hunk interrupted the pair, putting Yellow on the floor, helping it pick up the blocks and putting them back in place. "What 'f lions are…superheroes?" he asked, throwing his arms out at the last word.

Takashi grinned at the display, looking over to Hunk's parents (Mr. and Mrs. Garrett, he learned after discreetly pulling Allura aside and asking her) who looked just as pleased with their son and his sweet nature.

By the time Keith shuffled into the preschool room, his red lion was quickly inundated with the new formation of the three-lion (soon to be four) squad of superheroes. Their mission, of course, was to save the building block town from destruction and "bad guys," as Katie had said. All the adults were watching intently, each purely amused with the excitement the children were showing. Without explanation, and with few words, Keith joined in on the team, easily adjusting to the crime-fighting lifestyle.

There was no _actual_ goal, no common enemy, mostly because the children had just started their adventure, but they were thoroughly engrossed in the make-pretend. Allura looked over at Takashi, then at the purple lion, but said nothing. If he ever chose to stay the whole day, she might be able to coerce him into joining in on the children's game.

If she asked, of course, Takashi would agree without complaint or question. And not simply because he would want to impress Allura; he genuinely liked the children, liked having their appreciation.

Mr. and Mrs. Garrett kissed Hunk on the forehead, then said goodbye to the rest of the children, exiting the room so that each could make it to work on time. Hunk waved to his parents, his pet rock Shay sitting beside him. Mrs. McClain ruffled Lance's hair, and her son had to pat it back down with an annoyed expression. Still, he gratefully accepted a quick peck on the cheek, reciprocating it. The woman grabbed her handbag, not before telling Allura (and Takashi) to have a nice day before hurrying out.

Keith, again, had no parents to bring him in, and none left, and Takashi was starting to worry that the poor boy had _no_ family. He didn't mention it, however, instead opting to just flash a smile in the boy's direction. He was certain that watching these parents lovingly dote over their children would be hard to watch, even for someone who might honestly have a family. And, of course, it would also be hard for Katie, and Takashi tried to make a point of being as encouraging to her as possible, too.

Allura looked over, and she smiled. "You're very good with the kids, you know," she mentioned quietly, and Takashi ducked his head a bit. Her flattering him certainly didn't help him like her any less.

"It's nothing, really," he insisted, adding a chuckle to the end of his statement to maintain a sense of humility. The young teacher wasn't convinced, however, as she simply threw a knowing smirk back at his direction.

"Of course it is," Allura argued, "you and Katie make such a good team!" She was quiet for a few moments, smile still playing on her lips, but then a thought occurred to her. "Aren't you going to be late to class? I mean, I appreciate the conversation, really, but I'd hate to be the reason you fail a class-"

It was his turn to sport a coy grin. "I think you're losing track of your days – it's Friday."

Emitting a noise of recognition, Allura nodded sheepishly. "I think I am. You – you don't have class today, do you?"

He shook his head, without any sort of malice. Though, there was a certain sense of insecurity bubbling up from his stomach to his chest. "No, I've got the day off. So, I mean, if you don't want me hanging around here, I can definitely find somewhere else to be-"

While he knew that the children liked him, and Allura tolerated him (at the very least – there was still a small chance that she looked forward to seeing him during the week), there was definitely a part of Takashi that worried that Allura was simply putting up with him, humoring him in conversations that she never wanted to partake in. Maybe her laughter was fake, or her smiles were insincere; perhaps she was just trying to get him out of the room half the time, or-

"Please, stay," Allura said, her eyes hopeful, her smile light; it was enough to stave off Takashi's low self-esteem (for now, anyway). He knew Allura wasn't like what he had stupidly imagined, that she was so much kinder than that, and he felt guilty. "I'm sure the children wouldn't mind if you spend a day with us, if you do – if you want to, that is. You _don't_ have to, obviously, and I wouldn't hold it against you-" As she spoke more, she rambled, eyes flitting about the building, on the children, at the beanbag chairs littered around the room, and she refused to make eye contact with him.

Takashi returned the smile, and he took a seat at one of the little tables. "I guess I'm one of the students today."

"Well, I hope you learn something," she shot back.

As soon as the children learned that Takashi was staying for the duration of the day, they practically attacked the older man with hugs and questions. Hunk wanted to know if he was staying every day, Lance attached himself to Takashi's leg, Keith asked if his lion was also staying, and Katie just snuggled closer to her guardian.

Without their noticing, Allura pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of the scene. They all made a cute little figure, almost like one of those Renaissance sculptures depicting a kind patron saint and a horde of hapless and starving yet heartwarming orphans.

Or, something to that effect.

Takashi laughed, explaining to Hunk that he could only come on Fridays and only if Miss Allura invited him, patted Lance's head, assured Keith that, of course the purple lion was staying as long as he was, and moved his arm so that he could squeeze Katie's shoulder.

There was a tug on Allura's heartstrings, a sort of something that told her that Takashi was more prepared for taking care of Katie than he must think. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene, was held captive by the way the children adored and idolized Takashi and the ability the young man had to juggle his attention among all four children and still manage to devote an equal and enthusiastic part of his personality to each student.

That, and Takashi happened to be such an attractive young man that it was hard not to feel anything for a cute man that was surrounded by sweet-faced children.

Allura, naturally, convinced herself (or managed to lie to herself) that she held absolutely no sort of affection for Takashi Shirogane whatsoever. Especially not when he had a sweet nickname that a four year-old orphan had coined for him. (Seriously, though, who could keep a straight face when Katie would excitedly exclaim _"Shiro!"_? Certainly not Allura). And she definitely didn't care that Takashi was still a struggling college student who was somehow managing to walk the difficult tightrope of pursuing an education and caring for a little girl. No, his hard work ethic didn't resonate at all with the young teacher. Not one bit.

Takashi allowed the children to lead him to the pile of stuffed lions, and he soon added the purple one into the midst. The students resumed their game, explaining the rules to Takashi, who nodded thoughtfully. He sat on the ground, quickly adding to the excitement of the lions' defending the city.

Smoothing out her skirt and sitting at her desk, Allura watched the scene. She didn't have to start lessons for about ten more minutes; she liked the children to have a bit of playtime to unwind before their preschool had to truly begin. Besides, it was Friday; and as of the first week of school (or rather, just last week), Friday was since dubbed "Fun Friday." What that meant was that there were fewer subjects to teach than usual; it was more of a _review_ day for the children, accompanied with a few more games and plenty of snacks. She had even baked cookies for the occasion.

Katie made a noise of surprise, her green lion held in the air. "Wait, what 'f – maybe…lions in space?" she asked, gesturing to the room. It certainly fit, of course; Planet Altea was the perfect place to make-pretend a space adventure, and the stars and planets lining the walls made the idea even better.

The first to agree was Keith. He nodded quickly, cracking a smile at the idea. Lance and Hunk were soon to follow, each a bit more vocal about their excitement of the idea.

Easily outnumbered, and not at all resistant, Takashi hummed in agreement. He was quick to change the scenario for the children, setting the backdrop for the space voyage. Their galaxy was vast and dark, lit with bright stars and vibrant planets, and the lions – Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Purple – were the legendary defenders of the universe. He didn't iron out any of important details, didn't even establish what they were fighting, but there was a place for the game to start.

She hated breaking up their fun, but Allura had to interrupt to start the lessons. To her surprise, though, there weren't any interjections, and Shiro pushed himself off the ground, leading the children to their seats.

The first half of the day went by very well. The days of the week had already been successfully memorized, but Allura wanted to go through them again to show Takashi how far they had progressed. He grinned as the students cheerfully started their _Happy Days_ song, and he even joined in during the second round of the song. From the front of the room, Allura conducted the musical number, and she and Takashi caught eye contact for a brief moment. She glanced away, then down, her cheeks heating up at the sight of his wide smile.

When she looked back up, he was still watching her, still smiling, still singing.

It was enough to catch her off-guard, to make her falter for a few brief moments before returning to the end of the song.

She had assumed that Takashi was very bashful, that he'd never be able to keep eye contact longer than she could, and she had apparently been proven wrong. He most certainly _was_ able to stare at her for longer than four seconds, and he could even be a bit cheeky about it.

Though, maybe Allura was still right; after a couple more beats, Takashi looked down, his ears absolutely red. If Allura could have seen his cheeks, she would have noticed that they were just as crimson as his ears.

As snack time came, Takashi helped Allura pass out some juice boxes (ones that were free of artificial food colorings and dyes, no less) and her chocolate chip cookies she had made last night (and she did have a right to pat herself on the back – the cookies were gluten-free, too). The teacher made sure that Takashi had his own treats, and he gratefully accepted them.

As Takashi leaned against Allura's desk, enjoying his juice box, she joined him, taking a bite of a cookie. They weren't too bad, actually, and she decided she might actually start making them this way from now on.

"I really appreciate all the help you've given me so far," Allura mentioned, nudging him with her elbow. He looked over, nodding.

"Anytime. I mean – I like it here. I might…you know, like every Friday here?" he offered, hopefully.

"I'd love that. I think the kids would, too. So…what're your plans for today?"

Takashi thought it over for a few seconds, then smiled. "I think I'll take Katie to get a haircut."

 **A.N.: Sorry for the delay in a new chapter – getting ready for another year of college and whatnot. Anyway, I'm really starting to think that I'm just writing Shiro and Allura as Professor Utonium and Miss Keane from PPG, but that's okay, because those two were always my favs!**

 **The title for this chapter comes from a quote from Seneca – "The time will come when diligent research over long periods will bring to light things that now lie hidden…" There's more to the quote, but I might use it later, so we'll see!**

 **Thank you all so much for all the positive feedback and sweet messages! I've really appreciated it all, and it just makes my day! Hope you're all enjoying the ride, too!**


	6. Most Noble and Exalted Questions

Maybe it was Katie's new haircut, or the fact that both she and Takashi managed to get to bed at a very reasonable (and early for both) hour, or maybe it was because Hot Pockets were on sale at the grocery store, and it could have also been due to the fact that Allura had been so perfect that day – but whatever it was, Takashi went to bed in much better spirits than he had in a long time.

There were other things, too – he had an appointment coming up, one where he was going to discuss with his doctor the possibilities a prosthetic arm, and he was trying to keep that as much of a secret as he could. On top of that, Katie had been in such a good mood recently, and she practically _skipped_ to the bus stop after her haircut.

Takashi felt good and was starting to believe that maybe, just possibly, he wasn't so bad at this parenting thing. He was glad that he took Allura's advice, that he put what Katie wanted over his own reservations. She really did look cute with the shorter hair, and she seemed absolutely thrilled with it. There wasn't too much more he could ask for.

As he started to settle into bed (rather, his couch), Takashi pulled a small stenography notebook and pen off the coffee table to the side. He usually penned his grocery list on this stack of paper, but a part of him felt as if he needed to write a different sort of list tonight. He sat up, clicked the pen, and wrote down two things, two ambitions for him to strive for in the coming weeks (or months). In what order these goals were accomplished, he didn't mind too much. They were as follows:

 _Get a new arm.  
Ask Allura on a date._

He didn't write anything down about Katie, mostly because he knew for a fact he was going to devote all his spare time to nurturing the young girl, and there was no need for a motivational point on a list; he was never going to forget about Katie – she was top priority, now and always. The new arm was optional, really. He had been managing just fine without it so far. And Allura – of course he wanted to ask her out, and sometime soon, but there was little possibility she would actually say yes. And Takashi tried to convince himself that it wouldn't be the end-all if she rejected him. Dating Allura would just be really, really nice.

Pleased with his list, Takashi fell back onto the couch, finally ready to go to bed. He took a long sigh, throwing his arm across his face, shielding his eyes from the blaring light of the television. Katie had been so easy to get down for the night, hadn't even put up any sort of fight. She had just grabbed her stuffed lion, the green fuzz tickling her chin and nose. She loved that toy more than a lot of things, just held it close to her chest as often as she could, and Takashi was still so incredibly grateful that Allura had thought to give all the children one. She really was a good teacher, he thought.

Objectively, of course. He was thinking that solely from an objective sort of perspective.

The next morning, Takashi got up, pleasantly surprised with how much sleep he had actually gotten. He felt strangely refreshed, ready to tackle the day. He pulled himself off the couch, stretching a bit, before shuffling to his kitchenette to start a pot of coffee. The young man measured out the correct amount of grounds, dumping them into the coffee maker before walking back to his living room area. He wanted to have his coffee and be semi-ready before waking Katie up; today was grocery shopping day, and these sorts of trips always seemed to take so much energy from both parties.

The pair didn't need too many items, just the essentials – just milk, frozen pancakes, Hot Pockets (they were on sale, so naturally Katie wanted as many as they could fit into their shopping cart), apple juice, food for Katie's snacks and lunches, and a few frozen dinners. No, it wasn't the most nutritious of choices, but Takashi didn't mind too much at this point. He did make sure to buy things like carrots, but Katie didn't care all that much.

Except peanut butter. Katie went crazy for that stuff.

After settling down with his hot cup of coffee, garnished with a tablespoon (or more) of French vanilla creamer and a couple packets of sugar, Takashi pulled out his smartphone, flipping through some e-mails and scrolling down through his social media apps. It was pretty boring, considering his e-mails mostly pertained to college, and his social media life was all but nonexistent.

Once his drink was finished, Takashi gathered his wits together and rose to his feet. He was ready to get to the store, even if it was fairly early for a Saturday. But there was a lot of homework he needed to catch up on, and Katie's room was starting to get messy; there was a lot he wanted to get accomplished this weekend, yet Takashi was quite sure that his well-loved schedules were slowly starting to slip away from him.

Creeping into Katie's bedroom, Takashi knelt by Katie's bed, nudging her shoulder gently. He spoke softly, trying not to frighten her even as he woke her up. "Morning, Katie," he said, smiling when his only response was an annoyed grunt. The little girl obviously didn't want to be bothered, and he almost felt guilty for disrupting her beauty sleep. "Hey, we've gotta get to the store today, alright?"

His voice was quite soft, but it was enough to stir the child out of her sleep. Katie turned to face him, her expression irritated, but she still sat up, rubbing at her eyes. When her hand started searching for her glasses, her short arms just missing the frames, Takashi slid said item closer to her, nearly laughing when Katie made a sort of victory noise as soon as she got her hands on her glasses. "What're we – gettin''?" Katie asked, a yawn interrupting her question.

Takashi did chuckle this time, ruffling her hair. He still wasn't sure how long it would take for him to get used to her short haircut, but he could already tell that both people were going to have a much easier time managing with the new look. "Well, we're gonna get some peanut butter," he started, smiling even wider when Katie's face lit up, "And then some more pancakes, some Hot Pockets, a _big_ bottle of apple juice, milk…" he droned on, waiting to see how long it would take to bore Katie. She seemed to zone out after he mentioned milk, and she truly didn't care whether they bought bread or laundry detergent.

It wasn't too hard to get Katie ready; since it was only a Saturday, and she didn't have to look _too_ dressed up for just the grocery store, Takashi just helped her into a plain neon orange t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He ran a brush through her hair, noting how easily it glided through her short locks.

Truthfully, he wished he had thought of getting Katie's hair cut sooner.

The two rode the bus together in a general silence, Katie leaning against her guardian as the vehicle turned corners. He could tell she was tired, and Takashi was definitely going to have her take a small nap later that day. For now, though, she had to tag along with him to the store. He did wish he could get a babysitter for Katie, so that she didn't always have to depend on Takashi and his schedule, but it was hard when _he_ was the one who used to babysit for the Holts.

Takashi had very few friends, and he had none that would want to watch a four year-old girl on the weekends.

They exited the bus a few minutes later, Katie grabbing onto Takashi's hand to ensure that she didn't fall on her face as she hopped off the last step. The buses were still a little high for her, and Takashi mentally reminded himself to just pick her up the next time so that she didn't even have to worry about stumbling.

Thankfully, it was still quite early, and the grocery store was fairly deserted. Takashi pulled a cart out, and Katie put her hand around the side of the cart, content to walk alongside it. She was still fairly small, and could probably fit if she wanted to, but Katie was far too active to just sit in a cart and wait for Takashi to grab everything.

As they perused the aisles, Takashi grabbing the things he needed to, Katie nearly darted away when she saw a box of cheese-flavored crackers she wanted. Catching her by the arm, Takashi pulled her back, grabbing the same box she wanted. He might not have rewarded her running with the snack had he not been such a fan of the crackers himself.

He was about ready to head for the smooth peanut butter when he heard a chipper yet confused, "Shiro?"

He really did like the sound of Allura's voice, but hearing it in public, on a weekend, took Takashi by surprise. Especially when she chose to refer to him only by his nickname.

But to be honest, he was starting to get pretty tired of the fact that Allura could wear anything and look absolutely wonderful. She looked as if she had just gotten done working out, dressed in a pair of athletic shorts and a baggy pullover. Her hair was drawn into a high ponytail, and her makeup was still done flawlessly.

Takashi tried not to stare, he really did. And yet, he found himself with his mouth wide open, unable to even remember what exactly he was shopping for. Katie, however, recovered from her surprise much better than her guardian had, because she pushed past him to show her teacher her new haircut. The little girl turned her head to the side while Allura gushed over how nice the cut was.

"Oh, Katie, it looks so good! And I bet it's a lot cooler now, too, huh?" the young woman asked, her expression bright; she made brief eye contact with Takashi, and sent a wink in his direction. "You're going to have to tell me who you went to, because I need a haircut, too."

Finally remembering that he needed to buy peanut butter (smooth, of course, and never crunchy – he was glad that both he and Katie shared similar opinions about their peanut butter), Takashi allowed Katie to have a few moments to tell Allura all about the barber she went to. Yes, it was the old kind with the swirling poles on the outside of the building; and yes, the barber was super old, but he was also really nice, and he even gave Katie a sucker after he finished cutting her hair.

Allura listened, completely enthralled in the little girl's story. She didn't shift from one side to the other, didn't let her eyes wander about the grocery store, just focused on Katie. Takashi really appreciated that about her, because it told him that she truly valued the students as people, and not just a day job.

Still, he might have felt bad if he had let Katie ramble for too much longer. No, it made much more sense for him to ramble near the teacher – it was what he was good at. He put his hand on Katie's shoulder, leaning against the cart so it didn't roll away from him. "What all are you up to?" he asked Allura.

The young woman glanced down at her shopping basket, then back up at Takashi. "Just out shopping," she replied. The basket was filled with a box of granola bars, a few bottles of those healthy power drinks, some baking supplies, and about four or five frozen dinners. "Just out grabbing the essentials." Allura smiled, not uncomfortably, and shifted the plastic basket from one arm to the other. "What do you two have planned for today?"

As if on cue, Katie yawned, rubbing her face against the side of the cart. That couldn't have been comfortable, Takashi thought, and he felt a bit embarrassed – Allura probably thought he had dragged an exhausted child to the grocery store on a Saturday morning (which he did, but he assumed she would take it with a more negative connotation).

But no, Allura laughed lightly. "Me, too, Katie."

She had a way about her, surprising Takashi every time he decided to make an assumption about the teacher. There truly didn't seem to be a mean bone in her body, and she loved listening to both his and Katie's anecdotes, and she was just a genuinely wonderful person.

Barely missing a beat, the young woman continued, "I _was_ thinking, Shiro, about having a party. Sort of like a 'welcome to the school year' sort of thing. I…I don't know if you know anything about throwing parties, because I definitely don't, but – I mean, if you wanted to help out, or even just give me an idea or two along the way-"

He nodded, a smile spreading across his face. Katie was already excited, pushing herself off the shopping cart to watch her teacher expectantly. Like any young child, Katie loved parties, and she was already excited to hear about the details.

"I'd love to help out," he assured her, and Allura grinned. "So, what were you thinking?"

"Well…" she began, a devious sort of expression passing her features. Katie laughed at the tone of her voice. "I was thinking I could have it at my place, and invite all the students and their families. Then again…my father's house has so much room, and he has a giant backyard…" She hummed, already conflicted. "Anyway, I'll make a bunch of food, taking any and all food allergies into consideration, of course-"

"Of course," Takashi agreed, interrupting her.

She made a face, a mixture of irritation and amusement. "As I was saying, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, we could have a bunch of games in the backyard, and I'll figure out something fun for the parents, too, hopefully. I don't know, it was just a thought that occurred to me in the middle of the night, honestly."

"That's what you think about at night?" Takashi asked, playfulness in his voice.

"That, among other things." Allura laughed lightly, obviously entertained with her own comeback. She wasn't easily caught off-guard, Takashi realized, a fact which was a good thing, considering how easily _he_ was flustered. Yes, they had both had their moments of extreme awkwardness, but Allura certainly recovered at a much quicker rate than he did.

Katie was starting to get bored of their conversation, shifting from one foot to the other, trying to snatch the jar of peanut butter away from her guardian. She just wasn't tall enough, and unfortunately for her, she wasn't yet able to catch Shiro's attention. After Katie pulled on the hem of his t-shirt, however, he immediately turned to face her, almost concerned.

"What is it?" he asked gently, kneeling down a bit. That was the nice thing about Takashi – no matter how engaged he was in his conversation with Allura, even if it was going strangely well, he would be instantaneously focused on Katie if she ever needed his help, or even just his attention.

Katie nearly answered, but a strange wave of nervousness washed over her, and she found herself just whispering the answer into his ear. "Can I put the peanut butter 'n the cart?"

Takashi smiled, and he knew that Katie genuinely liked Allura. But toddlers just clammed up sometimes, even around people they were generally comfortable with. He wasn't going to make a big deal of it, just handed the little girl the jar of peanut butter so she could chuck it into the shopping cart. She did so, and the plastic container landed with a _thunk_.

Allura looked around the store, and moved out of the way so that a woman with her nearly-full shopping cart could squeeze by. The young teacher gave a quick apology, making eye contact with Takashi again. "I think I'm starting to get in everyone's way, so I should better go, huh?"

He felt a little guilty, too, nodding. "Yeah, we've still got a few more things to get before we can head home. Um, hey, if you need any help planning that party, let me know," Takashi offered. "You, uh, you have my phone number, right?"

"I do," she replied, looking grateful. "I really would appreciate the extra help, so expect a lot of messages about stupid things. But I'm giving you fair warning."

"You'd be about the only person who texts me, so I won't mind."

They both chuckled, and Katie joined in (even if she didn't quite understand why the two adults were laughing). Allura nodded, turning the shopping basket in her hands. "Alright, then, I'm going to let you two go. Wouldn't want to bore you too much before you even make it to my big party." She winked, waving at Katie and Takashi before turning and leaving.

Takashi sighed, glancing down at Katie. "I always act like an idiot in front of her, don't I?" he asked, already very much aware of the answer. Without missing a beat, Katie inclined her head, a mischievous smirk on her face. He figured as much and groaned. "Do you think she ever notices?"

"Kinda hard not to," the little girl deadpanned, giggling soon after. She couldn't keep a straight face for very long, even when she had just come up with a very good one-liner. Takashi smiled, too, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Well, I'm gonna try to stop being so dumb, okay?" Noting Katie's dubious expression, he added, "I mean it. I'm either going to actually talk to her like a functioning adult, or I'm just gonna move to Canada or something. You can come with, if you want. I mean, if I _did_ move, you'd have to tagalong with me, but I think you'd like Canada. They have a lot of maple syrup."

His jokes failed to even impress Katie, as the only thing that amused her at that time was his inability to function around her teacher. Even so, Katie nodded sagely, grabbing back onto the shopping cart, practically leading her guardian through the rest of the store. He sighed, picking back up the pace and grabbing onto the front bar of the cart, trying to balance his list in the same hand. They didn't have too much more to grab, and Katie was actually quite helpful in procuring the necessary products. She even reminded Takashi (about a hundred times) about the Hot Pockets.

He couldn't blame her for being excited, though; ham and cheese Hot Pockets really were the best things that had ever been invented. The unlikely pair made sure to throw about four small boxes into their cart before continuing their shopping adventure.

By the time they were in the self-checkout line, Katie and Shiro both were thoroughly exhausted. He had already planned for the little girl to be taking a nap later that day, but he was starting to think that he should maybe do the same, if only for a few minutes, an hour at most.

One hour turned into three, and two groggy human beings were left in the wake of the monstrous nap. Katie's hair stuck up in nearly every direction, and Takashi's wasn't too much better. He did crack a smile, though, at the way Katie haphazardly put back on her glasses – the frames slid down her face, practically hanging on by an ear. She didn't seem to mind, just snuggled a bit closer to Takashi's side, rubbing her face against his arm.

Yawning, he patted her head, checking the clock. It was still only two in the afternoon, and the young man stretched, and nearly knocked Katie off-balance. He gave a quick apology before righting her, noting her drowsy irritation.

Yes, he probably should have set an alarm clock. It was irresponsible to have done any less. But despite the still-tired feeling, the sleepy way his mind was functioning right now, and the small child about ready to knock him in the head in a few seconds if he didn't sit still, Takashi was sure that his body was going to thank him for the long nap later. It had been so long since he had voluntarily (and recreationally) slept for such a duration, and it honestly felt pretty good.

"Want some lunch?" he asked softly, letting out a low chuckle when Katie vehemently shook her head. She usually wasn't a griping sort of child, and he could let it go when she was just cranky from a nap. Still, though, he finally got up all the way, urging her to follow; and she did, shuffling her little feet, her strawberry print socks rubbing against the carpet.

They ate in a relative silence, both nibbling their Hot Pockets. Takashi thought back to Allura's shopping basket, and he figured he should probably invest in healthier eating options for Katie. Then again, her brother wasn't too much better; he always seemed to have a candy bar nearby.

Matt was also the most hyper individual Takashi had ever met in his life, and he didn't feel _too_ guilty for secretly hoping that Katie would turn out just a little less active than her brother did.

"So…" Takashi began, breaking the comfortable silence. Katie looked up, mid-bite, curious as to what her guardian wanted to talk about. At this point, she probably figured it had something to do with either school, or Allura.

She wasn't wrong.

"What did you think about the party idea?" he asked, taking a long drink of his apple juice. Truthfully, his eating habits now were no different than the ones he had practiced as a college student living alone. Now, though, he just had apple juice instead of hard root beer. "I mean, Miss Allura said it would be really fun, and all your friends will be there, too."

"I like parties," Katie supplied, and she ate a few more bites of her Hot Pocket before putting it down. "When is it?"

"I don't think she knows yet. But we're gonna help her out as much as we can, right?" And he really did mean that from a good and honest place, not just an advantageous way. Would he be seeing more of Allura? Sure, maybe. But he also wanted Katie to be involved in as many things as possible. And, for the past week, she had done so well. She was easily vocalizing with her class, and they all truly seemed to appreciate her input. Katie was polite with her teacher, and she hadn't caused any problems yet. What was even better was that she was very involved with her class, even answering Allura's questions every now and again. She loved her classmates, had even exchanged landline numbers with Hunk so that they could talk on the phone if they really wanted to.

Katie nodded, picking up her small glass of apple juice and sipping from it thoughtfully. "What're we going to do?"

"Good question. We can go shopping for her if she needs it, or we can help her decorate, or you can give her fun ideas for party games. Yeah?"

The little girl seemed suddenly focused on the topic, her face drawn in a very concentrated look. Takashi leaned forward, confused, and just a little apprehensive. Finally, after a long and pregnant silence, she asked, "Is there a theme?"

He laughed, shrugging. "I'm not sure yet. I mean, I think we can narrow it down to two things: space, or animals."

"Animals in space," Katie breathed, entranced by the notion.

The thought occurred to Takashi that all the children would like this idea. They had all very much enjoyed the look of the classroom, and it was supposed to look like one big galaxy. And Keith had even said that his favorite things were zoos, and all the children loved their stuffed lions so much. They carted the animals around with them everywhere, and Katie always had hers with her at night; Takashi figured that they all worked rather similarly to Katie.

"That's such a good idea," he told the little girl, grinning. "You know what, I'm gonna text her about that. That can be our first idea!"

Extremely pleased, because she had been the one to pioneer the thought, Katie pulled Takashi's cell phone off the coffee table. "Tell her, Shiro!" she insisted, her expression bright. She looked so excited that he couldn't help but agree, taking the phone from her. He didn't have to look long for Allura's contact, mostly because she came first alphabetically. He was a little nervous, but he tried to keep his texting voice as casual as possible.

 _[T: Don't know if you've thought about a theme for your party, but Katie came up with one. How do you feel about "animals in space"? Think about it.]_

He waited for her response for what he felt like was an excruciatingly long amount of time; in reality, though, Allura usually had her phone in her hand at all times, and she was always quick to respond. For a man that just felt as if he put his heart on the line, however, the wait time felt unbearable.

Eventually, though, when his phone went off with a generic _ping_ -ing noise, Takashi and Katie both crowded around the bright little screen. It was harder to navigate the phone with just one arm, and even more difficult to text, but he was somehow managing.

 _[A: I love it! You two are going to have to help me with it tho ;-)]_

Katie couldn't read, but the way that Takashi's face lit up was certainly enough to tell her that her idea had been successful enough.

He was also happy, of course, because she had ended her text with a flirty smiley-face. Maybe she always ended her texts with a _winky_ emoji, though, and there was really only one way to tell. With shaking fingers, he typed out his best and equally flirty response.

 _[T: Maybe we'll have to meet up sometime to talk about it, then.]_

This time, Allura responded at a much quicker rate:

 _[A: Definitely, maybe over some coffee? There's a café right by the school it's my treat]_

 _[T: Tomorrow? At noon? It's a date ;-)]_

 _[A: It is? Well bring a notebook because we'll be brainstorming]_

 _[T: We'll be there_ _]_

Finally putting his phone down, Takashi looked over at Katie. "So, we're going out to see Allura tomorrow. She wants to talk about the party, but she loved your idea. Does that sound good?" he asked, and Katie nodded vehemently. Both persons were excited about their party planning adventure with the young teacher, and Takashi realized something:

Off his 'Things to Do' list, he could officially cross _Ask Allura on a date_ off it.

 **A.N.: So, with 3 very writing-intensive English classes this semester, and a new job at my school's writing center, I'm not sure how regularly I'll be able to update, but I certainly won't forget about it, don't worry! I really appreciate everyone's amazing responses to this fic, and I can't thank you all enough!**

 **The title from this chapter comes from a quote by Albertus Magnus: "Do there exist many worlds, or is there but a single world? This is one of the most noble and exalted questions in the study of Nature." I don't know, I really loved this quote so much! Thank you all again!**


	7. Fragment of the Universe

_[T: Tomorrow? At noon? It's a date;-)]_

 _It's a date._

It's a date.

Is it?

Allura had stared at her phone for just a few seconds before responding with something about Takashi's bringing a notebook – she couldn't look at her phone again, and her mind was racing. Not only had Takashi _maybe_ asked her on a date, but she had also texted him back with something completely idiotic. At that point, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to meet at the café the next day, or crawl under a rock and die.

But either way, she maybe had a date tomorrow. The very thought itself was a little foreign; Allura hadn't been allowed to date in high school, and she simply hadn't cared to in college. She had been asked out before, and she had even gone on a few dates that went absolutely nowhere. But she had never dated long-term, and certainly not with a man who had a child.

Granted, the circumstances were completely different, but Takashi _did_ have Katie, and that was the simple truth of the matter.

Then again, and she finally did pick her phone back up, he had put a _winky_ face at the end of his text. Perhaps he was just joking? The expression would've lended itself to that theory. Takashi must have been kidding, obviously. And he was evidently brining Katie along with him, anyway, because he had said _We'll be there_. She was glad for that fact, too, because it would be nice to have a child's input on plans for a party meant for children.

With all that information, Allura concluded that – going to a café and discussing party plans – simply couldn't have been an invitation for a date.

Right?

She groaned, running a hand through her hair. Her fingers caught on the tangled ends, and she winced, carefully extracting her hand from her mess of a mane. Allura was confused, and definitely a little frustrated, and now her scalp hurt. But on top of that, she didn't even know how she would have felt if it genuinely _was_ a date.

Takashi was cute, there was no denying that. And he was so sweet, and even funny. He showed such concern and love for Katie, and it was admirable that he was still attending college even after everything that had happened to him. He seemed to be a hard worker, and he took Katie shopping with him (even though their choices of meals were not exactly stellar). But he also seemed a bit reserved, and he was more than awkward. But he was also mature, and yet friendly enough to play "Space Lions" with the rest of the class. There were so many good things about him, and she didn't even know him that well yet. At the same time, however, Allura wondered if she even _wanted_ to pursue a relationship – especially with the guardian of one of her students.

Had she been flirting with him? Of course she had. Shiro was fun to talk to; and it was a complete accident when they found themselves talking nearly an hour past the end of the school day. His voice was smooth, and his smile was – well, it was killer. He was a humble man, but he also seemed to be able to make fun of himself. She was certain even her father would like him, and she knew for a fact that Coran would.

Allura leaned back on her couch, pulling her legs up to meet her chest. She had been nursing a cup of tea, almost upset with herself that she had brewed a piping cup of hot liquid when it was still summer. Granted, it tasted delicious, and it certainly helped to soothe her throat (she had never considered that teaching could wear one out so much); but that was Allura – she made rash decisions without thinking of a bigger picture.

Yes, Shiro was essentially the cup of tea. He was wonderful, and he was probably good for her. But maybe he was better for her _later_. A cup of tea would be far more useful in the winter than in the summer. Perhaps Allura needed to know Takashi better before deciding to pursue anything with him.

Or, he was like the cup of tea, in that he was far too hot. There were so many analogies she could equate between Shiro and a cup of tea.

The young woman suddenly found herself quite alone; it hadn't been but a few months ago that she had decided to get her own apartment and left the large family home she had grown up in. Her old house was only fifteen minutes away, but it felt so much farther on a night like tonight when Allura didn't know what to think about anything. She didn't even know what to think _about_. And in an effort to save money while she was saving up her initial paychecks, she had opted against cable, insisting that Netflix would suit her just fine; but Allura now felt as if she had already binge-watched everything that she had wanted to. She sat on her couch, her laptop screen shut, holding a cup of tea, utterly alone.

Her lesson plans had already been drafted, and she had a three week advance of specific ideas she wanted to run by her students. Her apartment was clean, her groceries were bought, her laundry was done, and she had absolutely nothing to do.

Allura was a private person. In elementary school, she had made friends, but none of them had followed her to the private school her father enrolled her in later. In the latter school, the students were stuffy and rude, and Allura feared as if she might turn into one if she acquainted herself too closely with them. Granted, she herself was a bit snobbish to begin with, but she hadn't learned that until college, where a world of free thinking had been opened up to her.

She hadn't made many friends there, either, was only able to put names to faces; but she had still enjoyed the higher education. Now, though, Allura wished that she had put herself out there more, had initiated at least one lasting companionship. Then she could call, or Skype, or even just text a friend to get some advice about the dilemma she had since mentally named "The Shiro Situation."

Decided to try to pull her thoughts elsewhere, Allura got up, shuffling to her kitchenette to see what she had in her cupboard. She had eaten dinner early that day, and a snack would probably do her nicely (it would at least be better than a stupid cup of tea).

As she rifled through her cabinets, however, the young woman remembered why she usually chose to eat out. All she had was healthy food – granola, kale, _quinoa_ , and enough of those stupid Vitamin Waters to last her through a low-level apocalypse. College had done more than inspired her to think freely; it had somehow convinced Allura that she needed to change her eating habits to those of a more…world-conscious diet.

But as she slammed her cabinet door shut, Allura was certain she would have been able to eat anything processed, packaged, and presented to her in a span of two minutes. She trudged back to her living room, settling down in the exact same spot she had tried to leave just a few moments ago. Sighing loudly, a little annoyed that there was no one there to hear her, Allura picked back up her drink, downing it quickly. It burned a little, but had cooled down enough so that it didn't scald her.

If she were still living at home, she could take a long bath – in a bath, it didn't matter if one's thoughts ran wild. One was supposed to have complete solitude as she bathed. But no, this apartment only had a shower, and it was faulty, at best. Cursing her independent spirit, Allura slipped off the couch and onto the ground, simply lying on the floor. This broke up the monotony, right?

Here was Allura, twenty-three years old, lounging on the ground, her legs still kicked up on the couch. She was a sad sight, really; Takashi would never have asked her on a date if he could see this.

But what was more frightening, however, was the possibility that he would. Maybe he had such low standards that he would've asked out a desperate-looking woman just because he was so desperate himself. Oh, were they going to be those sorts of people? Is this what she had finally become?

Distressed, but not enough to do anything about it, Allura pulled a fuzzy blanket off the couch, pulling it around herself. When caterpillars left their chrysalises, they were supposed to be beautiful butterflies. They weren't supposed to exit as a bigger caterpillar that turned into a couch burrito.

And yet – here she was.

Allura pulled out her phone, making sure that there were no new messages from Takashi. Which there weren't, thankfully. Then switching to her music app, she browsed through her library. Aside from the occasional Katy Perry ballad, Allura had nothing on her phone that a young woman could listen to. Everything was for children – from nursery rhymes turned into songs, to the alphabet song, to little ditties her class could easily memorize. Even the pictures on her phone, mostly just screenshots of Pinterest ideas and the occasional snapshot of her class, were suited for a preschool.

Finally opting to play the only song on her phone (aside from Katy Perry, and "Roar" could easily get old after a while) that could potentially be considered mature. She started it up, falling onto the ground again, her legs kicked up with her back settled on the floor. Allura closed her eyes, letting the song be the only thing on her mind.

" _~Sunday, Monday, Happy Days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days, Thursday, Friday, Happy Days. The weekend comes, my cycle comes, ready to race to you. These days are ours, happy and free (oh, Happy Days). These days are ours, share them with me (oh, baby).~"_

Nope. Allura sat back up, shutting her phone off. Even that song reminded her of children. Which she loved, of course, but the young woman was starting to think that she was losing control of her life. She had never, in the history of her life _and_ romantic life, ever worried about what a man thought about her. Allura knew she was pretty, very pretty, and she was smart, too. Yet, for some odd reason, she couldn't quite be sure as to whether or not Takashi actually asked her on a date. And the questioning that came with it bothered her.

It was because Takashi was different from other people. Not a lot of young men, legal guardian or no, would have wanted to or even _would have_ taken in a family's little girl, no matter how close they were with the family. And yet, Shiro did, and he didn't complain, not even when Allura could tell that he was running himself thin. She was a teacher, five days a week, for about five hours a day; even then, she was getting exhausted with keeping up with the children. She couldn't imagine willingly caring for, feeding, bathing, and housing a child all the time. Especially not when this was a lifelong commitment. The way Takashi acted, he was going to take care of Katie as long as he could.

It was such a noble thing of him to do, and Allura admired him. Yes, that was it. She had never truly admired a man before. She had been attracted to men, of course, and she had appreciated qualities in them; but Allura had never looked at a man like she had looked at Shiro and wondered and marveled as to why he was still doing what he was.

And then, she admired him even more because Takashi honestly had _no_ reason to continue to care for Katie, save that he loved the little girl so much.

Allura smiled at the thought, smiled at the idea that a man with such a great amount of character would want to go on a date with her…

Or didn't.

She might as well go tomorrow to find out for herself.

Allura woke up exceedingly early the next morning, if only to try to tame her wild curls. She found herself in her bathroom for about an hour before she finally settled on a style she liked. The top of her hair was plaited into a French braid, and she had switched to a loose fishtail braid at the base of her neck and down. She pushed a few pins into the folds, ones with gemstones to match the outfit she had planned.

Slipping on a light coral dress, one with long sleeves and a fitted top that opened into a flowy skirt, Allura looked at herself in the mirror. This was – it was casual, but it could also double as a date dress. And she was already known to wear dresses on a frequent basis; wearing something like this could not be construed as trying too hard.

And to make the outfit just a bit more casual, in case it really wasn't a date and she still looked as if she cared far too much, Allura pulled on a pair of taupe sandals. It brought her outfit together, but not in a planned sort of way. She might have just thrown them on coincidentally, as a last and perhaps even hasty thought.

In truth, she knew she planned this outfit, and it was probably going to be very obvious to Takashi, but she hoped he didn't mind too much. But then, she knew he wasn't like that, that he wouldn't be particularly picky about anything.

Besides, it wasn't even a date.

But then she desperately needed some earrings on. Hurrying back to her bathroom, Allura chose a simple pair of diamond studs. She looked herself over in front of the mirror, deciding that she did look very nice, but also casual enough in the case that this definitely wasn't a date. Nodding, and gently rubbing her face a bit more to make sure that all of her makeup was blended in properly, the young woman set off for the café.

She was thankful for her apartment because it was so close to the school, though she did miss her father's home more than she cared to admit. Her old house had been large, and never with a lack of room. And now, there were moments in which she greatly missed the space. But the wonderful thing about her father, in just one of his many amazing character traits, had informed his daughter that she could store any of her extra stuff in her old home. He didn't want Allura to be overwhelmed with finally having her own place to live, and, as he had reminded her, there was no lack of storage space in his home.

Her father was truly a wonderful man, Allura decided. And she hoped to be like her father one day, both as a teacher and as a parent. Even after her mother had passed away, Allura had never questioned whether or not she was loved. Alfor had provided twice the amount he needed to, had made certain that Allura was a boisterous child; yes, he had been a little strict, as all overprotective fathers were apt to be.

But she knew what his feelings were, and she tried to make a point of thanking him every chance she got.

Coran had also been an integral part of her childhood, but in a different way. He had been a family friend since forever. He and Alfor had been best friends since they were in college together, and Coran had been the first one to offer his condolences, his help, and his company to Allura's family after her mother's death. He had never asked for anything in return; and despite his general goofiness, Allura couldn't have asked for much more.

That, and she was eternally grateful for his help in her classroom. Coran loved children, and they seemed to feel similarly; but he didn't have to visit Allura's classroom as often as he did. And even if he did, he didn't have to learn their names or their personalities.

And yet Coran did.

As Allura drove, she mused over the fact that this was perhaps why she admired Shiro as much as she did. The young woman had only ever been acquainted with gentle male figures in her life, and the young guardian was no exception. The way he handled Katie reminded Allura very much of her own father. And Shiro's playfulness was quite reminiscent of Coran's, the teacher decided.

Shiro was truly a wonderful person, and he was quite worthy of admiration. But still, this wasn't a date, and she figured she shouldn't get her hopes up too much.

Pulling her car into the parking lot of the small café, Allura glanced around, then looked behind her to make sure that she wasn't going to hit anything. Of course, she was a good driver, but there was still a certain sense of anxiety she had while driving. Once, when she had first gotten her license, Allura had been driving (at a completely reasonable and cautious speed) on some town roads. A group of small birds had gathered in one spot on the side of the road; and sensing the oncoming vehicle, had panicked and flown in all direction.

Needless to say, it was hard for Allura to go out and feed the birds near her house for a while; she felt as if she had betrayed all of them for unintentionally mowing down about half their population. On top of that, she feared driving for a while; the young woman had avoided getting back behind the driver's seat for a good month before her father had convinced her to operate a car again. Now, she was a much more careful driver; and she supposed the experience was almost good for her.

Though she did have a hard time eating any sort of poultry afterward; perhaps that experience had contributed to her half-vegetarian kick. Strange.

Slowing her car to a complete halt, Allura parked it, then exited. She pulled at her skirt a bit, smoothing it down, before pulling her bag over her shoulder. She opted to walk into the building without waiting for Shiro and Katie.

Apparently, another great thing about Shiro was that he was punctual. At precisely noon, the door opened; and the young man, his hand clasped with Katie's, walked in. He looked around for a few seconds before spotting Allura at a round table near the back. The young woman waved, feeling almost silly, but she couldn't help it.

This could be a date, an actual one, and it was just a little exciting.

Katie had her backpack in her arms, holding it safely against her chest. Shiro led her to where the teacher was, helping her sit down in one of the chairs. Allura smiled, not even surprised with how sweet he was acting without even paying any real mind to Allura yet. Of course, the two had made eye contact and had acknowledged each other's presence, but Katie was certainly the center of attention.

As soon as she was seated, the little girl unzipped her backpack, pulling out a notebook and handing it to Shiro. He took it, gratefully, and opened it up to a blank page. Also inside her backpack, Katie had her little green lion. She took it out, very carefully, and placed it on the table.

Honestly, Allura thought to herself, she was truly surprised that the children had reacted so positively to the stuffed toys. They had been cute, sure, but they had also been an impulse buy; and it had just so happened that all the children had picked different colors that matched a few of the lions. The speeches she had prepared for the students had been off-the-cuff; but she was starting to realize that she had been correct about her analyses. The kids truly were wonderful, and they were sweet, and they were so attached to the stuffed animals. She really was so relieved, and very happy.

"So…how're you two doing today?" Allura asked; she'd wait a few minutes before going up to order her drink. It seemed as if Shiro agreed with her thought process, because he stayed put as well.

The young man smiled, and he flashed one of his winning grins that nearly made Allura lose her train of thought. "We're doing great," he answered, and looking over at Katie, he added, "Right?"

"Yeah…" the little girl replied, still playing with her lion. She bounced it on the table, as if pretending it were walking around. She didn't look up, but there was still a small smile playing on her features.

"Alright, so, I wanted to talk about a party. Now, I really did enjoy the 'space animals' theme; but I'm not entirely sure how we can achieve that. Did you have any more ideas with that?" Out of her purse, she procured a notebook, as well, setting it on the table. Attached to the notebook was a pink gel pen, and Allura uncapped it, ready to jot down some thoughts that either party had. She smiled encouragingly, and Katie finally put down her lion; it appeared as if the little girl had been paying attention, but her curiosity had only now been piqued.

Thinking, and making a soft humming noise while doing so, Shiro answered, "Well, we could get a lot of the same decorations that you used to do your classroom up with, and then we can…I don't know, find some animals masks and stuff for the kids to play with?" It was painfully evident that Takashi was not a party planner by trade, but Allura still wrote down the ideas, nodding.

"Yes, the decorations are easy to find everywhere. My father's basement is quite large, and we could use that so we didn't have to figure out how to string things up outside…I like animal masks, that's a good idea. What about the food?"

"Animal crackers," Katie piped up, sliding her lion close and then cradling it.

"Wonderful idea, Katie!" Allura exclaimed, scribbling it onto the paper. After that, she wrote down a few more things, such as star-shaped cookies, and cupcakes with frosting to look like lions. Just a small start was good enough for her, but she was certainly eager for any input. "And…we can think of some games, too. And then…" She made a small note to herself to make goody-bags for each of the children, but she certainly didn't want Katie to know about that yet. It was going to be as much a surprise to her as it would be to the other children.

Shiro watched, and there was still a small smile playing on his features, though he said nothing. He penned a few things as well, then kept his gaze on Allura. She didn't notice at first, too absorbed in trying to figure out if "Star, Star, COMET!" could be an appropriate substitution for "Duck, Duck, Goose." Figuring that it would, or she'd come back to it later, the young woman finally looked up, and she caught Takashi's gaze.

It was very silent for a few moments, with the two adults staring at each other, neither sure of what to actually say. Katie was absentmindedly playing with her toy, not too interested in the ideas anymore, especially not when the topic of food had passed. But she did notice the silence, and she looked up, confused.

Clearing his throat, Takashi tried to switch the conversation to something else. But he obviously struggled, because no words left his mouth for a good while. Finally, though, Allura smiled lightly, and she drew her notebook closer to her.

"Ah, anyway, I think that we could do something…and, you know-"

"I do know," he answered, finding his voice in a cheeky answer.

"-maybe I can find a cool space soundtrack to play in the background-" she offered, writing that down. As of now, the party sounded terrible, honestly. With just a few sweet snack ideas, terrible music, a lame knock-off of a game, and less-than-exciting prop ideas, Allura was starting to think that she had bit off more than she could chew. Noting her worried expression, Takashi reached across the table, putting his hand over hers.

His expression, his still-there smile, was genuine; and his hand, while a little rough, was warm and comforting. Allura found herself wanting him to stay there, wanting him to be bolder than just a comforting pat on the arm.

"Hey, this is gonna be so much fun. I think the kids will love it just because you thought of them."

"You think so?" Allura asked, and she never could remember sounding so unsure of herself. But this – this desire to not let anyone down, was a little stressful. The parents were one thing; there was always the possibility that she would disappoint the parents, but the students were another subject entirely. They were children, and they deserved the best, because they didn't expect much from anything.

She squeezed his hand in return, as if needing his confidence to regenerate her own.

Takashi nodded, and his expression softened even more. "Don't worry about it. As long as you throw a party, and you think about the other kids and what they like to do, there's no way they won't like it? Right, Katie?"

Without missing a beat, the little girl replied with a short, "I like apple juice."

"…exactly. Just figure out the kids' favorite things. You already know their favorite colors and hobbies," he reminded her, "so just pick a food, or a drink, or a game, and go from there. Trust me, they're going to appreciate it if you just put in the effort. I know Katie would," he tacked onto the end, sending a loving glance over at the small child that had since refocused her attention back to her toy lion.

He was trying so hard to be encouraging, to compliment the teacher, and she found herself smiling. "Thank you so much, Shiro."

Hesitating at the nickname, then chuckling, he responded, "Anytime. And – please, if you need anything, let me know. I wanna help. And, remember, I have Fridays off."

It was then that Allura decided that she was going to capitalize on that – not only did she want his help, but she also wouldn't mind getting to see him for an extended period of time at least one day every week. "Sure, then. I'd really appreciate your help, too. If – if you wanted to come in on Fridays, and then we can talk about things, and make plans – I'd really appreciate it. You don't have to, of course, but – but if you want to-"

"I'd love to," he cut her off. "I can come in, and I can help out with your class, too, if that's alright. I mean, Katie's already there, and the other kids are so great, and you're there, too-"

"And that makes a difference?" Allura asked, laughing, finally regaining control of the conversation. She had let Takashi be the more confident entity for far too long, and she was glad to have the ball back in her court. To her surprise, though, Takashi didn't stammer out of the situation.

"Of course it does. I'd be affronted it if those kids didn't have their teacher in the room. Mass chaos, Allura."

On top of her laugh, she snorted, and he followed with a chuckle. "I've noticed that you're a little cheekier on the weekends," she noted, and Takashi shrugged.

"When I don't have class, I'm an absolute delight. You know, when I'm not crying over my biology papers."

"Well, I suppose you'll have to show the class how fun you can be. I do need another victim for our sing-along time."

"Sign me up. Every Friday, eight o'clock, right on the dot, I'm there to sing. As long as I get a nametag. You know, to be the _official_ teacher's helper and whatnot." He leaned back a bit, but not enough to distance himself from Allura. She nodded, perhaps a bit too quickly, and relaxed her shoulders. She had been tense for far too long, perhaps her whole life, and Shiro was definitely starting to help her loosen up. He and the children were good for her; and these people were genuinely brightening up her life more than she had considered they would before the schoolyear started.

"Well, then, I guess it'll be our standing date."

"You look beautiful, by the way."

She paused, then shook her head. "I was going for a casual look."

Still unsure as to whether this was actually a date or not, Allura decided not to approach the topic. She didn't want to make the situation tense, and she didn't want to weigh down the light-hearted mood. Besides, they were both smiling, and she had _at least_ started her ideas for her party. And it was going to be good. They were all going to have fun, and she was going to have fun.

"We should get our drinks-" Allura suggested, and Takashi nodded, obviously agreeing with her. And yet, neither of them got up, neither even _moved_ from their spots. Both were thinking the same thing; they didn't want to leave the sweet quiet of this moment.

Abandoning the attention she was paying to her lion for just a few seconds, Katie finally glanced up, and she looked between the two adults, the ones who were back to simply staring at each other. Sighing softly, then stopping to actually _look_ at the two, the little girl noticed something that neither of them had yet.

That being, of course, that Allura hadn't let go of his hand.

 **A.N.: So I'm really so humbled by all the sweet feedback! I really appreciate this! All the sweet comments have made my day way too many times! Quick thing, though: I think I'm starting to get into a better school schedule, so I should be able to update a bit more regularly. That being said, school will take priority, so when I have some essays coming up (like I did this week), I won't be able to focus on the story. Thanks for all the patience!**

 **I got my quote from M. Yourcenar – "Since man, fragment of the universe, is governed by the same laws that preside over the heavens, it is by no means absurd to search there above for the themes of our lives, for those frigid sympathies that participate in our achievements as well as our blunderings." I think it's a little fitting. Again, thanks so much, everyone!**


	8. Neither Center nor Circumference

Allowing his mother to fuss over him, to adjust his little t-shirt over his body, and to even allow her to pepper his cheeks with sticky kisses, Hunk simply grinned and bore it. He would never tell his mom, but her fawning over him could be a bit embarrassing, especially when he had a new friend like Lance who…who was hugging his mother's leg as she told him that his father would be picking him up after school. It wasn't that Lance didn't like his dad, because of course he did (and his dad was super tall, and he was really cool and always wore fun ties); but his mom always took Lance to the park after school, and especially on Tuesdays. And it was a Tuesday. His dad, on the other hand, liked to go to the library, and he would be happy to go any day of the week.

Lance couldn't yet say that he was a fan.

Today, though – today _Hunk_ was going to the park with his mom, and he couldn't help but be excited. His eagerness was part of the reason that he allowed his mother to pick out his clothes that morning. Usually, his dad did, but he was on a business trip and wouldn't be home until Thursday night.

The young boy drew the line, however, when his mom licked her thumb and made an attempt to wipe some dirt off his cheek. Hunk made a noise of surprise, edging himself away. " _Mom_ ," he protested, not unkindly, "It's fine."

With a sigh, Mrs. Garrett relented, wiping her hand off on her jeans. She smiled, though, and kissed the top of Hunk's head again. "Alright, sweetheart. You're going to be good today, right?"

"'m always good."

At that, she laughed, nodding. It was true – Hunk was a very sweet kid who hardly ever made problems for anyone. The only times he was fussy was when he was sick, or when he was excessively tired. But even then he was usually just grumpy, and not actually mean.

His face shifting into a completely sober expression, Hunk asked, "We're still goin' to the park after school, right?" he asked, almost nervous. He knew, of course, that his mother would never go back on a promise, but maybe she had just forgotten. And she definitely needed to be reminded, in that off-chance.

Lance looked over at the question, then gazed up at his mother imploringly. She didn't say anything, just smiled, as if sympathetic. She too had never been a huge fan of her husband's library excursions; in that same vein, however, the case could be made that it wouldn't hurt to sign Lance up for a library group activity. On the other hand, he did have a lot of energy that needed to be burned off.

Mrs. Garrett smoothed back some of the hair on her son's forehead, choosing not to plant another smooch on him. "Of course we are, sweetie. We'll go to the one with the really big sandbox, too."

As she and Hunk conversed, Allura grinned. She loved hearing the way these children talked with their parents. The young teacher had almost been afraid that she was going to be stuck with a few rude children for the year, but she had actually been blessed with a considerate (if not entirely unique) class. She was standing by Takashi, who was simply playing on his phone. He would glance up whenever Katie called his attention to something, and he made sure to give her his undivided attention until she was bored with him. Only occasionally did he steal a look over at Allura; and it was only when she wasn't looking that he sent a smile in her direction.

Their date (that hadn't been a date, but then it sort of was), had been practically perfect. Allura had gotten a few more ideas for her party, and she was almost ready to ask the other parents for their input. But more than that, she and Shiro had really connected. On what she wasn't quite sure, but it was definitely something. He had been so supportive, and then they had held hands for so much longer than either of them had planned on. Even, after they had both gotten their iced coffees, Shiro had suggested they have another party planning get-together. Allura had agreed almost instantly, and the thought occurred to her that they had made plans for another date.

A date that hadn't been a date, of course.

She wanted to know if there was something more to it, and even considered asking Takashi a few times; but Allura soon realized that she simply liked spending time with him. Whether their "dates" turned romantic or not, she enjoyed getting to speak with him and learning more about him. Whatever it was, or they were, Allura liked being Takashi's friend.

Everything was going so well.

As soon as she opened her mouth to make a cute remark about their upcoming not-a-date, Allura stopped when she noticed Shiro bend down to talk to Keith. The young boy was playing with his stuffed lion, not saying anything, and certainly not socializing with the other children. Lowering himself onto the ground, Takashi began to rummage around in his backpack, eventually pulling out the purple lion. He offered it to Keith, so as not to insert himself into the game; but the dark-haired child shook his head, allowing Shiro to hold the lion himself.

Mostly everything had been going well, anyway. The children were getting along amazingly, and Keith was by no means mean to the other children; but he was so quiet, and he only joined in on the games sporadically. He never had a parent come into the classroom with him; and when Allura asked, he simply clammed up.

She wasn't one to pry, but the young woman was _this_ close to pulling out her "in case of emergency, contact –" cards. She had numbers to call, of course, but Allura would have much rather just met Keith's parents in the first place.

And, in defense of his family, he seemed to be taken good care of. Keith was always clean, and his clothes smelled nice; his hair was a little long, but it wasn't greasy. Keith was just very quiet, and Allura sometimes worried about him.

Then, as she watched Takashi being so sweet and paying attention to Keith, Allura wondered to herself how the young man had taken to being a parental figure so quickly. He was still in college; and he was only really responsible for Katie. And yet, all the students loved him so much, and they were absolutely thrilled whenever he decided to stay the full day on Fridays. They practically bombarded him with affection, and he always made sure to think of fun (but still educational) games for everyone to play.

Allura, though still quite worried about Keith and his antisocial skills, had to admit that she had other topics constantly on her mind. Those pertaining, naturally, to Takashi, and Takashi's eyes, and Takashi's smile, and the fact that she may (or may not) have been falling for him.

After a few more minutes of sitting with Keith (and then Katie, who chose to stick close to her guardian's side), Takashi pushed himself forward and up, checking his phone once more. "Okay, so I've gotta get going, Katie, yeah?" He ran a hand across her hair, shouldering his backpack. Then, looking back to Mrs. Garrett, he asked, "Are you sure it's alright if Katie tags along? I'll only be a couple hours-"

The older woman cut him off, placing her hand on his arm, and then gave it a small pat. "Of course, dear. We'll just be going to the park after school, so you can meet us there, alright?"

"The one with the big sandbox!" Hunk interjected, grinning. Laughing, Takashi nodded, then gave Mrs. Garrett a grateful look.

"I really appreciate it."

Allura watched, a bit confused as to where Takashi was going to be held up for a few hours. Perhaps he had an exam at school, or maybe he wanted to take a few hours to clean up his apartment. Not that it mattered, because it didn't. But, there was a certain part of her that did feel a bit conflicted simply because he hadn't mentioned anything to her. And she would've watched Katie for a few hours, if he had asked.

At this point, Lance was definitely disappointed that he was the only child being denied a trip to the park. Again, he looked up at his mother, imploringly. His father had mentioned "pregnancy brain" a few times, and maybe this brain was keeping her from realizing that he _needed_ to go to the park.

"Baby, Dad's picking you up, you can ask him."

"He's gonna make me read!"

"You'll like it, baby," she insisted. Like an angel, though, Mrs. Garrett moved from Shiro to Mrs. McLane, resting her hand on the young woman's shoulder. It occurred to Allura that Hunk's mother was a very touchy sort of person, and Hunk, who loved giving hugs to his friends and to his teacher, was already showing signs of that same quality.

"I'm not trying to force myself into the conversation, dear," Mrs. Garrett started, her voice smooth and motherly, "but would Lance like to come to the park with us? Maybe just for an hour?"

Mrs. McLane thought the question over for a few seconds. "Are you sure that would be okay?"

"Of course! It'll be fun to have all them together!"

And, in a moment, that Allura would later recognize was the instant she truly fell for Takashi (not that he would know it yet, of course), the young man turned his attention to Keith. The little boy had not been watching the conversation intently, but his cheeks were red, perhaps from embarrassment or even irritation. Shiro did not say anything, but his movement was enough to catch Mrs. Garrett's attention. She made a noise of surprise, kneeling down with her hands on her knees.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart! You're so quiet, I nearly forgot about you. Do you think your parents would be alright if you wanted to come with us? I can ask them for you."

He didn't say anything, just shook his head and held his stuffed lion a little closer. The toy was already becoming a bit matted, and Allura figured that he played with the gift more than any of the other children did.

Lance frowned, placing his hands on his hips in an exaggerated gesture. "Why not?"

"Lance-" his mother warned, trying to convey the fact that he did not need to expand his thought processes any further.

Catching onto his mother's tone, Lance sobered up, but still looked rather displeased. Hunk and Katie shared similar expressions, the former even pulling on his mom's sleeve in a sort of questioning manner. The older woman didn't respond, and she looked a little sad and perhaps a bit confused.

The tension in the room felt tight, and none of the adults truly knew how to reply. Even Takashi, the one who was probably the least knowledgeable in the parental field (aside from Allura, who at least had a degree in education), could sense that something was off about Keith's answer. For a four year old to not only respond so quickly to a harmless question like that and in such a negative way, there had to be something more to the topic.

Mrs. Garrett nodded, though, and let her hand rest on Keith's head for just a few moments. "Well, the next time you want to come to the park with us, you just let me know, okay, sweetheart?" she asked in her most encouraging voice. To his credit, the boy in question nodded and even offered up the smallest of smiles. Perhaps he did that just to appease Hunk's mother, or maybe he truly meant it.

It didn't really matter, anyway.

Although she might have liked to help with the awkwardness of the situation, Mrs. McLane glanced down at her phone, making a face at the time presented on the screen. "I gotta get going, baby, I'll see you tonight," she told Lance, planting a large and loud kiss on his head. He kissed her cheek in return, then hugged her tightly before running off to stand with Hunk.

Takashi had lowered himself closer to the ground again, talking to Katie. "Remember, you're gonna go with Hunk and his mom, okay? I'll meet you at the park as soon as I'm done with my appointment."

Appointment? Allura frowned, the possibilities running through her mind. She figured that he was still convalescing, although he would have never let anyone know. But maybe he just had something to discuss with an advisor? Or someone regarding financial aid? Did Katie have a social worker? Did something happen?

Against her better judgment, Allura began to think about _Lilo and Stitch_ , and the thought of Takashi having to deal with a sour-faced social worker like Cobra Bubbles. And aliens? Was Katie going to adopt an alien?

Forcibly pulling herself out of her own thoughts, the young teacher made herself smile, directing it to Takashi. "Well, good luck on your appointment." She certainly wasn't worried, hoping that, if his appointment _were_ serious, he would have trusted her enough to tell her.

But could she actually expect that? They had technically held hands, and for a good while; and although they had planned for another not-date, nothing was truly set in stone. They were not actually dating, certainly weren't exclusive – she could not truly ask for anything more than where they were.

As she thought, as she struggled internally within herself, Allura did not notice the way Takashi's face brightened. And, because she obviously could not read his thought processes, she had no idea how happy her concern, no matter how nonchalant it was, made him. He grinned, the goofy expression noticeable to only the children, and moved a bit closer to the young woman.

"I'll text you later," he told her, his voice low. Unintentionally, of course, but his tone was enough to make Allura look up at him in surprise. They both stared at each other for a few moments, their eyes locked in a sort of awkward prison of affection. Then, as Takashi eventually broke the held gaze, Allura snorted softly, smile widening. He matched her expression, and the two began to laugh.

"Well, I would hope you would," she replied after both had stopped laughing.

He might have continued the light banter, but his phone alarm went off, reminding the young man that he desperately needed to hurry to get to class. He had managed to peg down all the buses' routes and arrival times, and he was quite determined not to miss his ride to school. Shiro said a quiet goodbye to Allura, waved to the rest of the children and their parents, thanked Mrs. Garrett once more, and bent down to kiss Katie's forehead.

He really had not thought about the action, nor had he necessarily planned to do so, but Takashi couldn't find it within himself to apologize. And, noting the way the little girl's eyes widened and the small smile that quickly stretched across her face, he figured that he had made the right decision.

Takashi felt as if his luck were truly turning around, and the thought occurred to him that he should actually ask Allura on a proper date. Perhaps later, maybe even that night, he would call her and invite her to somewhere nice.

Like Fazoli's.

It would be a sort of celebration, maybe – especially if his appointment went well. He was nervous, of course, but entirely excited. There was a part of him, however, that dreaded it.

As the school day drew to a close, Allura gave her students about a half an hour to let the children play with their stuffed lions. By this point, those were the only toys the children brought with them to school. Of course, the reality of that fact pleased Allura; she was so glad that they enjoyed the stuffed animals and even valued them.

When the children's attention had been focused solely on letting their lions hop about the ground, growling at each other, Allura sat down at her desk, pulling out a box of notecards. It was sectioned off by category, the name of each of her students. The notecards had topics written on them in Allura's bubbly handwriting, documenting names and last names, favorite foods and colors, allergies and food preferences, and emergency contact information. Alphabetically, Keith's section was third; the teacher rifled through the notecards in that category, pulling out the most basic of his parents' information – phone numbers, and names.

How she had somehow missed the information, Allura was quite unsure. But Keith did not share the same last name of his caretaker; and of the boxes marked "Parent" or "Guardian," the latter was checked. Leaning back in her chair, the young woman sighed, putting down the notecard.

So, then, he was much like Katie? Perhaps a foster child? It made sense, considering how unfamiliar Keith seemed to be with parental situations. He was only four, after all, and probably unaware as to why his family life was different from his classmates'. And on that note, Allura had an idea of why he was so sure that he wouldn't be allowed to go to the park with Hunk's mother. Maybe his foster parent was strict?

A child like Keith was quiet by nature, though, and the young teacher reminded herself that she knew exactly _nothing_ about his familial situation. After all, Takashi was not Katie's biological father, yet he took to the role remarkably well. It was very possible that Keith simply did not think to ask for anything; and with time, it was likely that he would grow to be bolder about his wants.

She could only make assumptions, of course, but Allura definitely felt for the little boy. Whatever his home life was like, he was obviously unused to being very talkative; and the little boy was more than a bit antisocial – he could probably go an entire day without saying anything if he were never asked a direct question. But as she watched the children play and saw how easily they all shared with each other, compared to the first day when they were _all_ a bit on the suspicious side, she couldn't help but think that she was doing at least something right with her class.

A knock on the door alerted the students to Mrs. Garrett's presence, pulling Allura out of her musings, and Hunk immediately jumped up. He looked over at Allura, as if asking for permission to run to greet his mom. The young woman rose from her chair, answering the door.

Mrs. Garrett was smiling, changed into a pair of comfortable clothes, obviously ready to keep up with the very energetic kids. She held out her arms as Hunk barreled past Miss Allura and into his mother's arms. Lovingly, Mrs. Garrett bent down to land a smooch to the top of her son's head. He giggled, letting her, and the phrase "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" flashed in Allura's mind. She laughed, going over to the backpack rack in the corner and picking up Hunk's Paw Patrol backpack.

Lance had gotten up as well, holding out a hand for Katie to take so that he could help her up. He was a gentleman, after all. But the little girl had simply laughed, pushing herself up. His hand hanging in the air, Lance frowned, then offered his assistance to Keith. The other boy stared for a few seconds, before relenting, allowing Lance to pull him up.

Of course, the taller boy had absolutely no weight to him, and he toppled over, unintentionally dragging Keith with him. They both fell to the floor with a _thud_ , and Allura winced. She began to hurry over to the scene of the pileup, almost afraid that one of them was going to start crying. Or worse, one of them might incite an argument.

Instead, Keith rolled Lance off of himself, a small smile in place. "I'm not _that_ fat," he said, his voice light, but the joke obvious. Katie immediately giggled at his remark, her hand going over her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle her laughter; the sound was high-pitched and sweet, and Allura wished she had the chance to record it to play back for Shiro.

Hunk joined the laughter, and he pulled Keith up with little difficulty. "See, _I_ can do it, Lance!" he announced, very proud of his strength. In response, Lance rolled his eyes, pushing himself up.

"You're a _little_ fat," he told Keith, and the dark-haired boy shook his head, snorting.

"I'm not." His argument was without any sort of malice; he was simply stating the obvious. "Hunk is just strong." His little smile had turned into a bit of a smirk, obviously amused by how much he had actually ruffled Lance's metaphorical feathers.

Hunk's eyes brightened. "Mommy, I'm strong!"

The older woman patted her son's head, ruffling his already-messy hair. "Of course you are, sweetheart; but so is Lance. Just in a different way."

She was a very good mother, Allura thought to herself, and she watched as Lance's irritation was mitigated by the encouragement.

Katie now had her backpack, pulling it onto her shoulders; she also dragged Lance's over to him, dropping it off at his feet. Mrs. Garrett held the door open for the children, and all but Keith sprinted out, throwing goodbyes over their shoulders. Hunk's mother smiled sweetly toward both Allura and Keith, then closed the door behind her.

A pregnant silence filled the room, and Allura soon found herself making a small noise in the back of her throat, just to break the quiet. Glancing over, Keith offered her a placating sort of expression, as if trying to convey that he was entirely fine being alone. Allura nodded, but still knelt down beside him. "Keith, do you want to wait outside for your parents?" she asked sweetly.

It took a few moments for him to process the offer, but he eventually relented, opening the door. As Allura stepped out of the room, giving the young boy a hearty _thank you_ for his chivalry, Keith muttered a small, "Not my dad."

She didn't say anything in response, simply absorbed the information with her mouth in a thin line. She sat down outside the building, patting the spot next to her so that Keith had a place to sit. He parked himself by his teacher, letting out a long sigh. It was far too heavy-sounding for a four year-old, and Allura found herself placing her hand on his shoulder. Bravely, she kept her hand there for several moments, noting the way that Keith relaxed, leaning toward her.

He seemed so much younger, as he sat there, his arms drawn around his knees. But he didn't say any more, and Allura didn't pry. They just held a somewhat comfortable silence for about five minutes, before an older-looking silver car with tinted windows pulled up to the front of the building.

Keith looked over at his teacher, his expression almost pleading, then trained his gaze to the ground. "I don't wanna go," he whispered but promptly clammed up, resigned; he got up, wiping off his jeans and shouldering his backpack like it was the heaviest weight in the world. Starting down the walkway, Keith glanced back over his shoulder, then waved once, opening the back door to the car, hesitating but eventually scrambling inside.

Allura waited until the vehicle peeled away, and she was immobile for a long while. Alternating thoughts of too much and not enough whirled around in her mind all at once; but in the end, all she knew was that she felt sick. The young woman pushed herself up, pushing her hair away from her face; her cheeks felt warm, but the pit of her stomach was completely ice.

Was she making too much of this past encounter? Maybe. But…but Keith had such large blue eyes, and he seemed so defeated; and his shoulders were so tense for a child that was hardly out of the toddler age range. He was just a child, and she should have known from the first day what his parental status was; but no, she had done a terrible job of reading her students' descriptions. Practically falling into her chair, Allura was tired.

And it was only a Tuesday.

Briefly, she considering sending a text to Takashi, but she was entirely unsure as to what she would actually write. Did she have the right to express her concerns about Keith? She didn't think so, but there was a strong part of her being that needed someone to confide to. Of course, the young woman reasoned with herself, she should discuss the matter with her father – he was a fellow educator; he was the head administrator.

Yet – yet she still wanted to talk to Shiro.

As she began to pocket her phone, however, the screen lit up, alerting her that she had a text message. _Great minds think alike_ , she mused, unlocking her phone and frowning as a picture of Takashi sitting in what looked to be a waiting room, looking quite bored. There was a caption that read, "Just waiting for some papers."

Her frown slowly upturned, and Allura typed back _Why?_

 _[T: If I told you, it'd ruin the surprise ;-)]_

 _[A: Will this make my day? I could use some good news.]_

There was a lengthy pause of time, but Allura got comfortable in her chair, awaiting a response.

 _[T: Did Katie do something?]_

 _[A: She was absolutely perfect today. I'm just being a worrier.]_

 _[T: …]_

When that was his only response, and Allura found no good way to reply, she got up, pacing around the room. She walked for a good ten minutes, just replaying events in her mind. Should she have asked something? Offered her assistance? Maintained that she was a very good listener?

She didn't know, was quite unsure of how she would even go forward past this – Keith was obviously unhappy; and while she might have been looking far too much into his expressions and mannerisms, the point of the matter was that Keith was upset, visibly so.

Her phone screen came back to life, and another picture of Takashi greeted her. This time, though, he was sitting in an actual doctor's office, wearing something over his shoulder. And…it obviously wasn't real, but – but it was an arm.

The young woman grinned despite her mood, her face brightening, even when she was the only one in the classroom. The picture of Takashi looked happy, and he wore a grin that was entirely goofy but altogether extremely handsome.

 _[A: It looks so good!]_

 _[T: I don't get to keep this one, just fitting for my own.]_

 _[A: Well, you're going to have to work out so it can catch up with your other arm ;-)]_

 _[T: #jacked?]_

Allura laughed out loud this time, shaking her head.

 _[A: Not as much as me lol]_

 _[T: Guess we're gonna have to work out together?]_

 _[A: Are you actually asking me out this time?]_

She sent the message without really thinking, and the young woman momentarily panicked. She probably shouldn't have been so bold, but she really needed to know. With an up-and-down sort of day she had had, Allura needed some form of constant.

Whether it was good or bad, she desperately needed an answer.

 _[T: If this is actually happening, then we're going to a nice restaurant and not a gym haha]_

 _[A: Friday?]_

 _[T: 8?]_

 _[A: It's a date?]_

 _[T: Definitely. For real this time ;-)]_

Allura stared at her phone; and if someone had been walking by the little building, they might have heard high-pitched cheering coming from the inside, because a certain schoolteacher was extremely and entirely excited.

And, of course, Takashi was no different; his doctor had to actually ask the young man to stop pumping his fist in the air so that the medical professional could continue fitting him for the prosthetic.

 **A.N.: I apologize for an extremely long author's note, but I'm just addressing some things – all good, I promise! Yay, new chapter! Things are finally moving in a Shallura-y direction. This is a bit of a transition-y chapter, so it might have been a bit dull, but things will probably start moving pretty quickly. Also, I have absolutely NO experience with medical practices or social work, so please don't assume any accuracy with this, and I hope to not be disrespectful or offensive in any way. ^^**

 **Oh, right, and questions that have been asked before: 1. Will there be Zarkon in this? Not outwardly stated, no. 2. How regular are my updates? Depends on my workload, honestly – I've had a crazy intense couple weeks, so I hope it evens out haha! 3. Other POVs? Love them, but I've seemed to transition from Shiro to Allura, so I'd like to play around with other characters – the POV will switch and depend on the situation, I guess!**

 **I got the chapter title from a quote by Giordano Bruno – "There is in the universe neither center nor circumference." As we all know, there's really a ton going around right now, so the structure of everyone's lives is a little whacky! Thank you all for reading, hope you enjoy!**


	9. Skybound Was the Mind

Ecstatic, elated, awestruck, _pumped_ – Takashi wasn't sure which emotion he felt the most, or if his disposition was instead an insane mixture of all-the-above and even more, but everything felt _right_. He and Allura, Allura and him, Takashi and Allura, Miss Allura and Shiro…any way he spun the two names together, they just seemed to fit. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to consider that, just because they were going to _officially_ be going on a date, they were immediately _dating_. But still, there was a certain bit of a promise, a possibility that tickled the back of Takashi's mind, reminding him that his fortune was beginning to turn around. A new arm, a dinner date with a beautiful woman, and Katie's general happiness and well-being – it all seemed perfect.

A terrible part of him, the cautious and pessimistic side of Takashi's personality, argued that this was only the inciting incident of a life on a gradual downslope. He had thought that he was happy in college, independent and bumbling, but happy. And of course, by no fault of his own, fate had turned his perspective upside-down. And, as he thought about it, Shiro was entirely grateful that he got to be the one to take care of Katie; but if he were being honest, he'd more than happily have the Holts back, even now.

Katie was amazing, and wonderful – but Takashi missed Matt, he missed Mr. and Mrs. Holt, and frankly, he missed having both arms.

The young man only allowed himself quiet moments to reflect on the things he was bitter about. Any more than that, and he feared that his general disposition would suffer as a result. At the end of the day, however, he loved Katie, and he loved the kind of lifestyle that he now had, even if it was not going in the way that he expected it to.

Most of all, though, and this was the part that surprised Takashi the most, he loved the people that Katie had introduced him to. Excluding Allura (because he knew very plainly how he felt about the young teacher, and he still had to marvel about how perfectly things were going), Katie's classmates and their parents were people that he would have never truly known, much less engaged with. The children were so young, obviously, and their parents were outside his age bracket; understandably, he wouldn't have thought that getting a chicken sandwich with a pair of middle-aged parents would have been enjoyable.

And yet, the Garrets made amazing lunch guests, and Takashi was quite thankful for their company.

As he left the doctor's office, took the bus to the nearby park, and greeted Mrs. Garret and the children she had been watching, Takashi felt _light_. He hadn't in a long time, not really. But everything – Katie's increasingly playful personality, her ability to make friends (and good ones), the fact that he himself had been quickly inundated into the other parents' social circle, and, of course, Allura's intoxicating presence which had quite suddenly become a constant, all melded together to make his life make a little more sense than it had before.

Katie ran to his side, hand taking his and squeezing it, and she pressed her tiny body closer to his side. He glanced down at her, smiling, and thanked Mrs. Garret for watching his young ward. The older woman told him that she would any time, that it had been no trouble at all, and that she was more than happy to watch Katie. Lance and Hunk both waved at Shiro, Lance proudly telling the young man that he had managed to swing higher than Hunk had. The other little boy folded his arms across his chest, not at all angry, and calmly told the lanky child that he had been better at the teeter-totter.

Pulling Shiro down slowly so that she could inconspicuously whisper into his ear, Katie informed her guardian that Hunk was right. Lance had hardly been able to keep Hunk in the air, apparently. Takashi laughed, good-naturedly, and swung his arm around Katie. "Ready to go home?" he asked, gaining a nod in response. "Great, I'm starving."

They stopped for dinner at McDonald's, a meal in which Shiro was not entirely proud of (but how could he possibly deny the temptation of an all-day breakfast?). The pair ate inside, Katie talking animatedly and about a mile a minute, describing to Takashi everything that had happened throughout the day and making sure to tell him that she had swung higher than both Lance and Hunk and that they were just too ashamed to admit it. The little girl tried to talk as she nibbled on her chicken nuggets, but Shiro gave her a look, eyebrow raised. He didn't even have to say anything, because the brunet child put her food down, took a long swig of her chocolate milk as if it had rather been a draft of beer, and continued her speech.

He listened, only occasionally losing focus of the conversation. Sometimes throughout Katie's dissertation of the day, he thought of the other children and especially Keith, because it was a shame that he hadn't been able to join his friends at the park. Takashi also thought about Allura, about how she had written that she had been in a bad mood; and yes, he had managed to brighten it slightly (or he hoped that he had been able to), but his thoughts still wandered back to how upset she had been.

In the back of his mind, Takashi somehow decided that he was going to make it his goal that she would never be quite so sad. And yes, he knew that it would be entirely impossible to prevent all negative emotions that Allura may or may not feel; but Shiro wanted to try.

He had never met people, aside from Katie and Allura, that made him want to _try_ so hard.

"'nd then, we played tag, and I think I won-"

Absentmindedly, the young man mused within himself that it was quite impossible to decide who could actually win a game of tag, and he supposed that love was much the same way, but he opted not to dwell on the matter for very long.

Katie finally stopped speaking, eating the remainder of her meal, and twisted the cap on the top of her chocolate milk jug. She had a little bit left to drink and decided to just take the rest home so that she had some later.

They waited by the bus stop, Takashi holding her backpack, making sure to be careful because _"Green is in there, Shiro!"_ He decided not to antagonize her, instead keeping a firm hold onto it.

Once on the bus, Katie snuggled closer to Shiro, yawning. Her glasses were askew, the too-big lenses halfway over her face, and Takashi found it incredibly difficult not to laugh. He managed not to, though, instead slinging his arm across the back of the seat.

He was excited about his new prosthetic, and Allura had been so encouraging about it; Katie was sure to be, as well. That being said, Takashi was still nervous. He had managed well with only one arm, but if the prosthetic didn't work as he expected it to, he knew that the resulting disappointment would be absolutely devastating.

He didn't want to dwell too deeply on the possibility of heartache that could arise; he wanted to be as positive as possible.

The young man was pulled out of his thoughts when Katie nudged his shoulder, alerting him that they were finally at their stop. The pair stood, thanked the bus driver, and made their way back to Takashi's apartment. He unlocked the door, and Katie ran in.

As the night went on, the two sat on the couch and indulged in a mini Netflix marathon of _The Powerpuff Girls_. Katie watched, almost dutifully, with her legs tucked under her and the stuffed green lion in her arms. Beside her, Takashi held the purple lion absentmindedly. Sometimes, he forgot that it was Allura that gave him the stuffed toy; sometimes, he just liked the familiar feeling he got from it.

When Katie started to nod off, Takashi smiled fondly, nudging the little girl's shoulder. "Come on, time to get to bed," he suggested, and the brunet child followed him as he pushed himself off the couch. The two shuffled to the bathroom, and Katie brushed her teeth, occasionally yawning as her toothbrush scrubbed away.

Teeth brushed, Katie managed to make it to her bedroom, crawling into bed. She was tired, her day at the park having tuckered her out a good deal. Takashi pulled the sheets up to her chin; and without thinking, he kissed the top of her head. She didn't say anything, hardly even reacted (save for the small hum that she gave before turning over); and as he walked back into the living room, he realized that he didn't feel entirely embarrassed.

Slowly, Shiro was becoming more used to being Katie's guardian. Things were starting to become more natural, and he was becoming more comfortable. The young man fell onto his couch, making himself comfortable. It had been an eventful day, one in which there were a lot of situations that could have gone very wrong; and yet somehow, everything had gone completely right.

His lips curled upward in a lazy smile, and he fell asleep easily, dreaming of nothing in particular.

By the time that Friday finally rolled around, Takashi had secured a babysitter for Katie (that being, of course, Mrs. Garret, who had excitedly agreed to watch the little girl – Lance was going to be there for a sleepover, anyway), and he was more excited than he knew to describe.

He helped in the class, as was proper for Shiro on a Friday, assisting in song time, passing out snacks, and quietly whispering with Allura during quiet time. The two didn't talk about anything important, but Allura assured him that she was definitely looking forward to their date. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, a few strands framing her face; and Takashi could appreciate how much effort she put into making her hair look as if she had just thrown it up into a haphazard style.

The children had a wonderful day – Hunk had proudly led the group as they rehearsed all the numbers they knew (and they were up to fifteen, only stumbling a bit past twelve, a feat in which the students' teacher was extremely proud of). Lance had shared his carrot sticks with Keith, who stared at him for the longest time before smiling and taking one.

And Katie – well, she had been the first to enact an impromptu Show-and-Tell, simply because she had asked Shiro for his cell phone so that she could show her friends the Pokémon she had caught in the new app that had come out.

If he were being honest, Takashi wasn't a huge fan of Pokémon GO, but he had downloaded the app simply because he felt as if he had to. The handheld games had played a large part in his childhood, and he figured that he should at least try the new app out. He hadn't liked it too well, but Katie had loved it.

The little girl took the phone (with both Takashi's and Allura's permission) and showed it to each of her classmates, explaining in detail how she had caught a Pidgey, which Shiro later explained to her was very small but quite heavy according to its statistics, that was named "Ata." She had pressed the buttons together to form the nickname, entirely unsure as to what she was spelling, or even if she was spelling anything (which she wasn't, but Takashi was not about ready to tell her that); and Katie was entirely proud of fat little Ata.

Hunk and Keith gaped in awe, but Lance seemed unimpressed. "So? Pidgeys are everywhere," he informed her matter-of-factly. He was right, of course, but Katie puffed out her cheeks in irritation.

"I don't care. They're my fav'rites." She didn't mumble the answer, because she wasn't embarrassed. Katie liked Pidgeys, and she had absolutely no shame about that. It didn't matter what types of Pokémon were nearby; if there was a Pidgey, she'd catch it.

Allura had laughed lightly at the childrens' interactions, and Takashi glanced over, wondering if she knew just how beautiful she looked when she laughed like that.

Unaware to Takashi's pining, Hunk responded to Katie's statement with a soft, "Really?"

She nodded, and Keith made an impressed noise. "If you were a Pokémon, would you be a Pidgey?" The question was just a bit odd, but it wasn't one that seemed to bother Katie.

"Yeah."

He didn't say anything for a few moments, pondering the answer. "Cool, I'd be a Growlithe." Katie smiled in response.

Lance, still entirely nonchalant to the bonding moment the two children were having, sighed heavily. "Yeah, well, maybe we should just call you 'Pidgey' from now on," he said; the comment wasn't necessarily hurtful, but Lance surely hadn't meant to compliment Katie.

She took the jest in good nature, her lips curling into a catlike grin. "Go ahead," she urged him, and Lance deflated.

"Fine. I will."

"I like it," Keith insisted. "Pidgey."

"Or Pidge," Hunk offered; when Katie didn't say anything to dissuade the boys' attempts at a nickname, it was unanimously decided that, instead of "Katie," they would refer to their friend as "Pidge" from then on. She didn't mind, and was actually pleased by it.

Allura glanced over at Takashi, as if to ask if all this was okay. He laughed lightly, leaning against the young teacher's desk. "I think it's cute," he whispered.

She smiled, nodding. "I agree. And I'm glad that Keith's talking more – you and Katie have certainly helped with that."

"I don't know about that. I think they all just enjoy being here, and _that's_ thanks to you," he replied. He didn't notice her reaction, the way she opened her mouth to respond but found no words to fill the comfortable silence. When she hadn't said anything in a while, Takashi added, "And I'm _very_ excited about tonight. I've got the perfect place picked out."

"Oh? Where's that?"

"Well," he began, leaning in a bit closer, his voice low, "Imagine this: quaint little Italian restaurant. They have _amazing_ pasta, salads, and their breadsticks – I can't even begin to _describe_ to you how incredible those are. Seriously, I love them. Best part about the place? It's kid-friendly, so if we really like it, and 'Official Date Number Two' happens, we can bring Katie along."

Allura tried to keep herself from laughing. "We're going to Fazoli's, aren't we?"

"You're gonna love it."

She did laugh this time, the sound high and sweet. "Alright, alright - your description really brought it to life. I'm looking forward to it."

As Takashi waited for Allura to come out of her apartment, he tried to steady his heartbeat. Every time he saw her, she always looked amazing, and he couldn't imagine that this instance would be any different. He had dropped Katie off with no problem, and the little girl had quickly left her guardian to go play with Lance and Hunk. Both boys had been more than happy to include "Pidge" in their game of "Space Lions," but Hunk did make a point of saying that it was going to be weird without the purple and red lions.

It occurred to Takashi that these children were far more compassionate than most adults were, and they had such a great capacity for friendship and inclusion; the young man knew that he had already learned from them, and he was certain that they still had more to teach him. After all, just Katie's constant presence in his life had changed so much for him. Shiro found himself being much more careful, acting more maturely, and asking much more questions.

He was eager yet nervous; after he and Katie had left from her preschool, they had had to stop by Takashi's prosthetist to pick up the thing that had been consuming every free thought that wasn't related to Katie or Allura or college – his prosthetic. It was just a prototype, and it lacked all the functionality of an arm that Shiro had wanted for an appendage. But it was a start, and it looked normal, and that was good for him. After the doctor had fitted it onto the man's shoulder, Takashi had worried that Katie was going to say something. Or worse, that she didn't say anything.

Instead, the little girl had smiled lightly, her little hand grabbing onto the plastic hand. She had known it wasn't the same kind of hand that she was used to holding, and he couldn't feel the little girl holding his hand. But he had seen her hand squeeze his, and she had looked up at him.

"It's very you," she had informed him plainly, and Takashi had found himself unable to make eye contact with her. He had to glance away toward the wall, blinking rapidly.

The doctor had later pulled the young man aside, sincerely telling him that he had a very special little girl.

Shiro couldn't argue with that logic.

He might have mused longer, but Allura's apartment door opened, and the young woman stepped out, locking the door behind her. As she turned, Takashi felt his pulse quicken. Per his suggestion, she had dressed formally, deciding on a black dress that hugged her curves and hit just below her knees. Upon noticing Takashi, she waved lightly and headed toward him, her heels _clacking_ against the pavement.

"Well, don't you look handsome," she observed, her tone a bit teasing. He did look nice, though, and he knew that. The young man had tried a good deal to actually look nice. His prosthetic hadn't been at all helpful as he struggled into a button-up shirt, but it looked right. For the first time in months, Takashi had two arms, and he looked good. He knew he was handsome, or he had been before the accident, but it had been a while since he had allowed himself to actually look at a mirrored reflection of himself for longer than a few seconds at a time.

Now, though – he had adjusted his collar, tilted his head up and then down, and he smiled. Allura wasn't going to be the only good-looking adult on this date.

Then again, he had also found a few stray gray hairs, but he wasn't going to focus on those for very long. Panic would happen later.

"I do?" he asked, grinning. Sure, he looked handsome, but Allura, the epitome of a gorgeous woman in a little black dress, was an absolute knock-out. Takashi imagined that, if he were from a cartoon like _Tom and Jerry_ , his heart would be visibly pounding out of his chest.

"Of course you do. But I look better."

He couldn't argue with that logic, and he held out his arm for Allura to take. She did, and it was then that she noticed that Takashi now had two arms. She had grabbed onto his own arm, but she leaned over to get a better look at the prosthetic.

"Shiro, that's amazing!" she marveled, and her expression matched her statement. "Oh, it looks so good!"

"Feels good, too."

The two walked a bit before Takashi halted them in front of a bus stop. She glanced up at him quizzically, not verbally asking a question. But he answered before she had to ask.

"We are doing this date in the most adult-like way I know how. And because I am a _completely_ competent adult, I have never owned a car, so we will instead be taking my preferred mode of transportation: the bus." He gave her an endearingly confident look, one that Allura couldn't argue against. She laughed loudly, her hold on his arm tightening.

"This has already been the best date ever."

When they rode on the bus together (and of course, Takashi was a gentleman and paid for her fare), Allura kept close to him, her shoulder constantly bumping against his. It was a comfortable scene as the pair animatedly talked. The young teacher explained that she had only ever ridden on buses a handful of times because she had been homeschooled. Moreover, she had had a car when she was in college; and when she had needed her car to be fixed, her father had been more than happy to drive her around.

"Oh, yes – you'll probably see my father at some point; he's the head of the school district, so he drops by occasionally. Coran, too."

"…Coran?"

"My father's assistant. He's been a friend of the family for as long as I can remember. Sometimes, I'm pretty sure he was in the delivery room when I was born." She put her hand on Shiro's shoulder as she talked, and he laughed along with her.

"If I see him, I'll be sure to be on my best behavior. Deal?"

"It's a deal," she agreed.

The bus driver dropped them off near the restaurant, and the pair took their time walking there. With her heels, Allura came up a bit past his shoulder, and Shiro found himself admiring her height (or lack of it). In fact, the idea occurred to him that she and he fit nicely together.

When they made it to the restaurant, Takashi opened the door for her. "Why, thank you," she said gratefully, giggling when he bowed as if paying respect to the most noble of women.

In order to make the image even clearer, he responded with a grand, "Anytime, princess."

After Takashi paid for their food, he led his date to a table to sit at. The two made a lovely pair; they were formally-dressed adults in a childlike Italian restaurant. Allura had never been there before; and while Shiro had described it a bit comically (and she hadn't expected too much of the meal), the young woman was immensely surprised by her pizza-baked spaghetti.

And those breadsticks – incredible. Takashi had been completely right.

"So…" the young man started, picking at his salad, "what's something I should know about you?"

She paused, putting down her fork, and thinking over the question carefully. "Well, I like to read, and I have my degree in early childhood education. I love children, obviously, or I would be pulling my hair out at this point. My favorite animals are mice, surprisingly. I think they're adorable." She pushed some hair away from her face.

Laughing at that comment, Takashi nodded. "Really? I thought it'd be lions. Personally, I like sharks. No reason. Just like sharks. Anything else?"

"…I love shopping, unfortunately. It's not too great on my wallet."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, and I like to go swimming during the summer, and I'm an avid star-watcher…and, I am a teacher who probably wants to interfere far too much in her students' lives."

"Are you talking about me?"

"No, no-" she insisted, shaking her head. "No, I was talking about something else."

Takashi frowned, leaning back in his chair slightly. "Allura…is there something you wanted to talk about? Or, is that inappropriate?"

The young woman took a long drink of her water, humming slightly. "It's not. I just – you know how Keith is very quiet?" When Takashi nodded, she continued, "Well, the other day when Mrs. Garret took the children to the park and Keith couldn't go, he told me that he didn't want to go home with his family. And – and I know that it doesn't mean anything, probably, but he just seemed so sad, and when I went to see who I should contact in case something were to happen to Keith at school, I realized that he wasn't living his parents; he's a foster child."

He opened his mouth to say something, but Allura interjected. "No, I know – there's nothing wrong with foster parents – I mean, you absolutely love Katie, and you're perfect with her, but – but I just have a _feeling_ that something's wrong. Not that I have any proof; I mean, I've never seen anything inherently wrong with Keith. He's always been clean, and his clothes are alright, and he's _so_ sweet when he actually gets comfortable. And believe me, he doesn't have any…any – any bruises, or anything-" Even just saying that upset Allura, but she kept talking, "but I don't want to assume that's nothing wrong when something is. But I also don't want to say something's wrong when there's nothing to worry about. And-"

Shiro stopped her, putting a hand over hers, just like he did during their first date. "Allura, if you – if you think something's wrong, is there…someone you can talk to, maybe?"

"I could…maybe talk to my father about it?"

He sighed quietly, moving his hand away from hers and taking a small bite of his food; but Allura probably shouldn't have said anything, because neither of the two had any more appetite. Takashi didn't blame her, though; he knew that she wanted the best for her students, and he was incredibly grateful that she was so attentive to the children's needs.

"That would probably be best," he agreed, picking up one of the breadsticks and nibbling on it. "I mean, he's a really sweet kid, so I know what you're saying – I'd absolutely hate it if any of the kids had a problem at home. But I also know that you don't want to get too upset if you don't have a reason to. Just – just keep an eye out for him, yeah? I will, too, if that would help."

She smiled, not quite sure how she had managed to find someone so sweet that would actually go on a date with her. And he was so understanding about this whole situation. Honestly, she had worried that she had ruined the mood when she mentioned one of her students; instead, Shiro had just offered one of his sweetest smiles and did his best to encourage the young teacher.

Truly, Allura couldn't have asked for much more for a date.

There was a lapse of silence, one in which the young woman found herself watching Takashi more than she actually focused on her food. He looked so handsome, and he just seemed more…confident…than he had before. Allura didn't think that the new prosthetic made him any more handsome or outgoing or even compatible, but if he felt better about himself, she was completely supportive of it.

By the time they had finished their meals, Allura felt so much better about – about everything. She hadn't solved any problems; if anything, she should have been more worried about Keith because Shiro actually validated her concerns with some of his own. But there was a certain aspect of someone else supporting her, letting her know that he was going to do everything within his power to help Allura that brought her more peace about the situation.

They walked toward the bus stop, and she actually looked forward to the trip back to her apartment. As it turned out, buses were quite enjoyable, and they were even better when she had someone to share the experience with. Allura nudged Shiro's side with her elbow, catching his attention. "Thank you for everything tonight, I…I had a really great time."

"Night's not over yet. We have another bus ride."

"You're right, sorry," she laughed. "But honestly, I really appreciate everything you've done so far. You don't have to help out in the classroom, but you do, and the children just love you so much. And…thank you for listening to me about Keith. I know it's not exactly the best topic for a date, but I seem to be unable to separate my work life from my home life."

He shook his head, his smile warm. "Seriously, Allura, I can't describe to you how much it means that you were so worried about him. That tells me that you'd feel the same way about Katie. So I don't mind."

The bus hadn't arrived yet, but Allura stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, turning around and grabbing Shiro's arms. "You…just said everything right," she told him, looking up at him, at his eyes, at his lips.

Allura didn't have to ask, didn't even have to say anything – Takashi leaned down, capturing her lips in his own. She wasn't surprised, soon relaxing into the kiss.

Stressed conversations about Allura's students aside, it was a perfect date. And while the pair sat together on the bus, Allura let her head rest against his shoulder. He glanced over, lips curling upward, then leaned closer to her.

When they got to Allura's apartment, the young woman unlocked her door. She opened it only a little bit, turning back to kiss him again. Of course they had to have a goodbye kiss, one at her doorway. It was only proper, right?

Allura was thankful, though, that she didn't have her father waiting at the doorway, tapping his foot impatiently while he waited for some strange young man to stop kissing his daughter. Luckily, Alfor wasn't there, and neither was Coran (because he would be even worse than her own father would be), and Allura had as much time as she wanted to kiss Takashi.

His arm snaked around her waist, and Allura stretched on her tip-toes just slightly. They were sweet, they were simple, and they weren't too much all at once; they were supposed to be moving at this slow a pace.

And yet, as Shiro pulled away, placing another soft kiss to Allura's cheek, the young woman found herself wanting more. But she knew better, and she knew that Mrs. Garret was probably waiting for Takashi to come pick Katie up, and she smiled, letting him know that she had a wonderful time.

"I'll call you," she promised.

"I'll hold you to that."

If Takashi were being honest, and if Allura were doing the same, they were both considering the possibility of about a hundred more dates between them. This was just the first of many "Official Dates" for the pair, and both were looking forward to them, to a long list of sweet and beautiful (and perhaps even more) dates.

Katie didn't ask why Shiro was humming while the two walked back to their apartment; she didn't even ask how his dinner with Miss Allura went. But she figured that it must have gone extremely well, because her guardian kept looking at his phone, either laughing or smiling every time the screen lit up.

 **A.N.: This chapter was both a joy and a struggle to write! I have my general outline for how I want the last few chapters to go, but it's a little harder to actually get them typed out. This was fun, though, and at least Shallura are finally and definitely going out!**

 **I got the title for this chapter from Johannes Kepler: "I measured the skies, now the shadows I measure. Skybound was the mind, earthbound the body rests." I mean, both of the two are completely over-the-moon right now, so I think that it fits! Thank you all for reading and keeping up with this story! Can't wait to see where it goes!**


	10. Begun to Yield

By the time that Shiro had finally carried the last bag of groceries to the large long table sitting on the far side of Alfor's backyard, he decided that he was actually quite glad that the party was going to be over soon. In just a few hours, all the stress of party-planning would be gone from both him and Allura, and the two could maybe, _finally_ enjoy a normal date that didn't involve a notepad and/or packs of party streamers.

To her credit, Allura had tried her hardest to be as available to Takashi as possible. And he couldn't blame her for caring so much about the get-together. Not only were all the children coming (and she had been especially excited to get a signed permission slip from Keith's guardian), but most of the parents were, as well; and it was increasingly obvious that she wanted to impress everyone. Takashi had tried to remind her that the children wouldn't care – so long as they had some games and pizza, they would be completely content. And the parents would be happy with her effort alone.

And _Allura_ kindly informed Shiro that she would tape his mouth shut with her animal-themed duct tape if he tried to say that _just one more time_. He quickly gave up on the notion of convincing her of anything that she already assumed and decided to use his effort on helping her set everything up for the party.

Her father had been more than happy to lend his backyard. The man, who introduced himself as Alfor, was entirely more intimidating than Takashi had anticipated. He hadn't expected to meet the older man so quickly, and he certainly wasn't at his best version of himself when they actually met – he had been painting a cornhole board with a fun galaxy motif; he would have rather met the man dressed in a nice button-down shirt and not the Disney Land t-shirt he had bought during his sophomore year's Spring Break.

Alfor was nice enough, though. He was a tall man with soft-looking white hair and wrinkles around his eyes. One glance at Allura's father informed Takashi of whom the young woman inherited most of her looks from. He had offered a hand for the other man to shake, and Alfor's strong grip nearly frightened Shiro. He hoped that he made a good first impression, that his paint-covered shirt and lopsided smile didn't deter Alfor.

The two did find a certain camaraderie rather quickly, though. Both happened to be quite terrified of Allura, especially when she was on her party-planning rampage. She quickly got the two to work, suggesting that Shiro return to his painting and that her father help her set up a few tables for reference. The older man glanced back down at Shiro, giving him a sympathetic look, and muttered a soft, "She's always been this way."

Takashi laughed lightly, shaking his head. "I like it; she has a direction."

"If you two have the time to talk, you have the time to paint!" Allura reminded them from afar. Her tone was light, but there was a certain tightness to her voice that let the two men know that she was _this_ close to blowing up at both of them. With a resigned sigh, Alfor followed his daughter back inside his house, going to grab a few tables.

And his house – Takashi had never been rendered speechless by a home, but this one was just incredible. It gave the young man the distinct impression that Allura had grown up with money, that she was used to nice things, and that she deserved an expensive lifestyle. But the building was still interiorly decorated with incredibly personal items; there were about twenty picture frames scattered along the wall, a few family pictures sitting on coffee and side tables, and sweet knick-knacks that seemed to characterize neither Alfor nor Allura that filled up the rest of the empty space.

The older man told Shiro to make himself comfortable, and he certainly tried, but there was no feasible way to feel at home in a house in which a down payment for it might have covered some or all of his college tuition. Even as he thought that, though, a childhood picture of Allura reminded Takashi that this house was everything that his apartment was for Katie – it was home. It was lived in. It was a safe place.

Shiro knew that he would probably never feel relaxed enough to kick his feet up and onto the coffee table, but he figured that he could at least lean against the couch without feeling as if he were going to rub his poverty onto it.

After he had finished painting the board, Takashi decided to call Mrs. Garrett to see how Katie was doing. He was so grateful for her, for her husband, and for the McLanes. They were like angels – angels who were qualified to babysit a four year old. On that particular Saturday, Mrs. McLane had offered to watch Katie for Takashi, but he didn't want to burden her, especially so close to her due date.

Granted, he didn't exactly know _when_ she was due, but he knew that she was uncomfortable, and that her baby belly was large enough to knock Lance down if she turned too sharply.

And as it turned out, the Garretts lived closer to Shiro's apartment than Lance's family did. And in the distance between the two homes was a park, and both Katie and Hunk loved to go there. It made sense for the Garretts to watch Katie as often as they did, and Hunk's mother sweetly informed Shiro that, once Allura's party was over and he had more free time, she was sure that he would be more than happy to watch Hunk on occasion.

He quickly agreed, her sense of humor refreshing. That, and he liked all the students; to Takashi's surprise, he liked the constant noise that children brought to a home. He liked the talking, the laughing, the excited whispering – he didn't so much like whining, but he assumed that few parents did – and he thought to himself that he would be quite open to having Hunk _and_ Lance _and_ Keith over for a play date with Katie at any time.

When he ended his phone call with Mrs. Garrett, one in which the woman told him that Katie was doing just fine and that she and Hunk were getting ready to have lunch, Takashi decided that it might be best if he partake in a snack of his own. He had worked hard already, and he knew for a fact that Allura had more things planned for him to work on.

As if she read his mind, Allura walked outside, sliding the door shut behind her. She smiled encouragingly, her tense mood from earlier apparently abated. She had a plate of tiny sandwiches balanced on one hand and two bottles of water in the other. She sat the items on the table that she and her father had carried out earlier, motioning for Takashi to join her. He did so, wiping his hand on his shirt. "What've you got there?" he asked, as if the answer weren't so obvious. The question was meant to be coy, and it obviously did its job, because Allura smiled in response.

"I guess you've done enough to deserve a break, and I'd hate to overwork you when I still have so much to get done." She handed him a sandwich, and he took it, nodding in thanks.

The sandwich was turkey and cheddar, and Takashi would have sworn that he had never eaten anything more delicious. Not because they were extraordinarily delicious, but because they were from her. He glanced up at her, humming as if to show her his gratitude.

"Well, you can thank the store for those," Allura told him, and he then gave her a quizzical look. Allura? With store-bought deli meat and processed cheese? He didn't want to assume that granola bars and power drinks were all that Allura partook in; but when she ate, she mostly ate that. Noticing his dubious expression, Allura sighed heavily. "They weren't my first choice, either, but with how busy I've been, the sandwiches just seemed easier. And you want to know something? They taste delicious."

Takashi swallowed his bite, smiling almost sympathetically. "Well, now you know that you have other options when you don't have a lot of time. I'm sure they won't kill you," he chuckled, and Allura rolled her eyes in response.

"You don't know that. I might have poisoned that one because I knew you'd say that." Still, she smiled, too, leaning forward to chastely peck his lips.

That was another thing they had been doing more of lately – kissing. After dates, in front of her door, in front of _his_ door, after school when Katie wasn't looking – they didn't overdo it, and both had agreed to take their relationship slowly, but they still enjoyed the innocence and amenities that a "girlfriend/boyfriend" relationship brought.

And although she assuredly expected it, Katie had yet to be informed of the relationship upgrade. Allura suggested that they gradually incorporate aspects of it so that the little girl didn't feel overwhelmed with another big change to her life. She had just gotten completely comfortable with having Shiro as her primary guardian – she didn't need the sudden addition of Allura.

Another thing the two agreed on – Katie came first, always and without question. They were never going to do anything that didn't have the child's best interest at heart.

That was probably what Takashi had decided was the best thing about Allura; she loved Katie so much and made sure to include her in everything, even if the little girl wasn't present. She asked questions, she got to personally know Katie, and she never intruded. Allura was careful, and Katie absolutely loved her.

Shiro was absolutely certain that Katie was going to be just fine with the relationship; but he appreciated Allura's concern, and he was quite content to go at a pace that she felt comfortable with.

This didn't mean, of course, that the two didn't enjoy their quiet moments together. In fact, they quite did. When Mrs. Garrett had Katie over at her house, Allura was able to spend time at Takashi's apartment. He had been a bit self-conscious at first, especially because her old house had been tremendously grand, and her apartment was actually quite nice, and his couch was his own bed. But Allura had appreciated it all the same, readily made herself at home, and asked him about a thousand questions about it.

All in all, Shiro liked their relationship, but he was more than ready to have Allura's party over with so that she wasn't as stressed.

When the day finally came, Takashi woke up an hour earlier than he usually did. He didn't wake Katie yet, just shuffled into his kitchenette to make himself some coffee. Once he was seated on his bed/couch, he checked his phone for e-mails, text messages, and a quick scroll through his Facebook feed. Reminding himself that he really did need to delete the latter app, because he never really used it anymore, he ultimately chose to keep it on his phone for at least another day and settled back against the cushions.

It wasn't hard to convince himself that it was going to be a good day. Allura had put so much work into this party, and he was more than confident in her abilities as a planner. And the children practically buzzed with excitement every time the party was mentioned, and their parents had been more than happy to offer their help to set up for the get-together.

Finishing his cup of coffee with one large gulp, and somewhat regretting the decision when the hot liquid burned his throat, Takashi stood up, sitting the cup on the coffee table. He checked his phone for the time, then decided that he might as well wake Katie up.

When he opened her bedroom door, the young man was quite surprised to see his ward already sitting up in bed. She was speaking excitedly with her little green lion, informing the animal that they were going to have a very fun day at Miss Allura's house. Katie didn't notice Shiro for a few extra moments, but when she did make eye contact with her guardian, she hardly seem phased, just sat up a bit straighter and grabbed for her glasses. Straightening them on her face, the young child offered a wide smile, kicking her legs over the side of the bed.

"Someone looks ready for today," Takashi laughed, walking over and ruffling Katie's hair. She didn't swipe him away, just laughed lightly, her voice light and sweet and still able to instantly brighten Takashi's day. Without Katie's knowledge, he glanced down at her fondly, his hand lingering for just a bit longer than he intended to.

How – how did he manage to be so lucky? In such an unfortunate circumstance, both Katie and Takashi could have chosen to suffer from such huge losses. But they found each other, didn't they? Katie had been an absolute dream – she was so passive, so easy-going, and so understanding for her age. And, while he didn't like to be arrogant in any way, Takashi also knew that he gave his best effort to take care of Katie. He never wanted to let her down, to disrespect the Holts' memory.

And, he thought to himself as Katie began to pull a dinosaur-printed shirt over her head, grumbling to herself when she had to tug at it to get it to lie flat, he was doing a pretty good job.

In another half an hour, Katie had nibbled on a Pop Tart, and the two hurried out the door, Takashi closing it behind him. They didn't have to rush to Allura's house; they just wanted to. And it occurred to Takashi, as he and Katie were sitting on the bus and both of them were practically vibrating with excitement, they were very much alike. For as little as a four year old and a college student could have in common, they both got excited fairly easily and found it impossible not to be helpful. That, and both of them seemed to be quite fond of Allura (though for entirely different reasons).

Alfor's home wasn't too far away from a bus stop. The affluent area was only a few minutes' walk away, but neither Katie nor Takashi seemed to mind to a high degree. They made it to the walkway, and Shiro was a bit surprised to already see Allura setting up. She had balloons everywhere, but the young woman was currently trying to pin up a banner to the top of the home's front door. She had a stool to stand on, but of course Allura had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach. Not bothering to excuse himself from Katie, Takashi hurried over, just to provide a bit of a buffer for Allura in case she stumbled.

He didn't say anything, but Allura glanced down, a smile working its way onto her lips. She wasn't dressed for the day – her hair was pulled into an incredibly messy bun that still seemed intentional, and she was only wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt with a baggy pair of charcoal-colored sweatpants. Honestly, Allura should have looked unkempt or at least a bit less than perfect. But when Takashi looked up at her, he could have sworn that she was a super model who had just walked off the catwalk. He knew that it was the "honeymoon period" that guided his thought processes, but he truly couldn't help but think that Allura was absolutely the most stunning thing at every single moment.

"You're here early," she mentioned off-handedly, sticking a final pin against the banner, leaning back just a bit to see her handiwork. Her feet hung precariously over the edge of the stool, and Shiro was certain that she was going to tip backwards. But she didn't, just readjusted herself, then held out a hand for Takashi to take. He did so, of course, and Allura hopped down, placing her hands on her hips. "I think that looks pretty good, don't you think?" she asked.

"Your father won't mind?"

"Of course not. They're just little pins, they'll hardly make a mark." She seemed so sure of that statement, and Takashi just nodded, sure that, even if Alfor _did_ mind his home being marred for a kindergarten party, he wasn't going to be the one to inform his daughter of this fact.

"Did you need any help setting things up?"

Allura didn't answer him immediately, because she had to greet Katie first. The little girl ran up to her teacher, holding up the stuffed green lion. "Green can come, right?" she asked, her face alight.

With a light giggle, Allura nodded, kneeling down so that she and Katie were eye-level. "Of course Green can. The lions are practically guests of honor – they're the ones that save the universe every day, right?"

"Right!"

"Then I think it's only fair if we hold a party in their honor." The young woman stood back up, giving Shiro an appraising look. "But I think someone forgot his legendary defender." While her expression was decidedly dramatic and theatrical just for the sake of being so, Takashi couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious.

He was glad, then, when Katie rummaged around in her backpack, pulling out the purple lion. "I didn't!" she proudly exclaimed, and Allura clapped her hands together, obviously impressed.

"What a relief!" She laughed again, then made her way back inside the house, making sure to keep the door open so that Katie and Shiro could follow if they wanted to. The little girl ran in, absolutely in awe at the magnificence of the home. After she entered the home, however, Katie kept to Takashi's side, perhaps so that she didn't break anything but also perhaps so that she didn't get lost. It _was_ a long hallway, after all.

Allura was in the kitchen, pulling out bags of vegetables and fruits so that she could prepare trays for the party. She set them on the nearby island, grabbing a knife from a drawer. "You two can feel free to make yourselves comfortable, or you could take some of the games outside. It's up to you, we've got plenty of time."

She shouldn't have offered the opportunity for Takashi to be helpful, because the young man was already at her side, looking around for the games she mentioned. Katie was right next to him, looking up at the two adults expectantly. Laughing lightly at the eagerness to help, Allura put down the bell pepper that she was holding, wiping her hands off and leading them to a small storage room. "Alright, so you can just go ahead and set those on the tables outside for me, okay?" she asked, looking mostly at Katie, who seemed to be taking this new responsibility completely seriously. The little girl nodded, picking up a few board games that probably weren't going to be played anyway, leading Shiro out of the home and into the backyard.

The preparatory work for the party went at about the same pace for the rest of the morning. The get-together _officially_ started at noon, but all of the non-food items were completely set out before ten. Once she had assured herself that everything was properly done, Allura began to actually work on the food. She cut up celery, cucumber, peppers, and a head of broccoli, placing them on a large tray next to a pile of baby carrots. Stuffing the first tray into the refrigerator, the young woman quickly started a fruit tray. She was quite adept, moving fluidly along the kitchen's island, occasionally handing Katie a grape or an apple slice to nibble on while the little girl watched.

Takashi had sat down on a bar stool, admiring how easily Katie and Allura interacted with each other; but as soon as he saw that the girls were done preparing the trays, he hopped up, grabbing one so that he and Allura could walk them outside. The young woman seemed appreciative, nearly leaning over to peck his cheek; but she remembered Katie's presence and the room and stopped herself, deciding to just pat his shoulder.

Shiro didn't even think much of it, until he heard Katie giggling to herself. He glanced over, a bit confused. She quickly amended herself by explaining her laughter, exclaiming, "She almost kissed you!" before laughing again.

His face felt a bit warmer, and when Takashi glanced over at Allura, he could see that she clearly felt just as embarrassed, but the young teacher quickly recovered, slapping a light smile on her face. She looked to Shiro, as if asking for permission to oust their relationship to the child whose opinion on this subject mattered the absolute most.

But he beat Allura to the punch, kneeling down so that he and Katie were eye-level. The little girl still was still smiling, anticipating what her guardian was going to tell her. She already knew, how could she not? Shiro and Allura were far too obvious with their feelings.

"So, Katie, for a while now, Miss Allura and I have been seeing each other-"

"I know."

"And I really like her-"

"Well, yeah."

"But I need to make sure that you're okay with everything. Because we both really care about you, Katie – you're the most important part of this, okay?"

She nodded, not at all bothered. "I like Miss Allura. You can kiss her."

Relieved over how easily Katie took the news, and a bit embarrassed for having any doubt with how calm she would react, Takashi smiled, ruffling the top of the little girl's head. She flattened her unruly hair with a huff, then quickly ran out of the room so that she could set up for the party more. Once Katie left, Allura crossed the kitchen to meet Takashi, pecking him on the cheek. "Very brave out there, I was a bit worried myself," she laughed. And he didn't even care that she was teasing. Takashi took that opportunity to kiss Allura, holding her close against him.

"You keep this up, and we might not make it to the party," the young woman reminded him, pulling away so that she could bring a few more things outside. He followed, practically grinning, looking forward to this party more than he could hope to articulate.

Stopping in the doorway, Allura made a noise of surprise. "I forgot, I have to shower-" she handed Takashi the package of hamburger buns she was carrying, quickly running back into the house and up the stairs. Vaguely, Shiro thought of quipping a cute "Can I join you?" but he didn't feel like being smacked that badly. He had to laugh lightly, though, because Allura could be so organized about some things but completely forgetful about others.

He was glad she remembered, though, when he saw her reemerge nearly an hour later. Her hair fell in loose curls over her shoulder, and she wore a sleeveless mint dress and a pair of strappy sandals. Allura smiled, pleased with her own quick work, walking by Shiro. "I know what you were thinking," she whispered playfully. "Maybe next time."

He chased her into the backyard, unable to hide his smile. "That'd better be a promise."

Only the Garrets arrived early, and Hunk's father quickly busied himself with helping Alfor set up chairs around the backyard. The two older man made small talk as they worked, and Mrs. Garret joined Allura at the edge of the yard, asking the teacher if she needed any help with setting up the party.

Allura, of course, told her that Takashi had already done all the grunt work, but she made sure to add that he had been an absolute peach about it. Mrs. Garret patted Shiro's shoulder, telling the young man that he was certainly one of the finest examples of the modern-American youth that she had ever witnessed. He refrained from informing her that he got most of his politeness from his grandparents, both of whom were full-blooded Japanese, and instead chose to thank the woman.

Katie and Hunk had found themselves a comfortable spot on the ground to play on, and the little boy rummaged around in his backpack to present his stuffed yellow lion and his pet rock Shay. He couldn't have come to the best party of the year without bringing either of his trusted companions; and along with Katie's green lion, the two hurriedly worked through another adventure of "Lions in Space."

They didn't have to play by themselves for very long, though, because a loud and very boisterous child soon entered the scene. Lance was dragging his father to his friends, opting not to pull around his extremely pregnant mother. She sat herself down at one of the tables, thanking Takashi when he quickly ran over a glass of water. He was reminded of the fact that he knew nothing of babies, especially when he thought she was absolute ready to pop, but she insisted that she still had a few more weeks to go for this one.

Mr. McClain was definitely the suit-and-tie type, and Shiro thought that he looked incredibly uncomfortable in an orange sherbet-colored polo shirt with khaki shorts. Still, he dutifully followed his son, amicably greeting Katie and Hunk. They had never met Lance's father before, and they were certainly surprised to see such a quiet and studious-looking man turn out to be their loud-mouthed friend's dad. Katie later said that Mr. McClain looked like a nerd, but Takashi maintained that the operative word was _studious_.

About ten minutes had passed, and when Takashi glanced over at Allura, he could tell that she was bothered by something. Obviously, she was worried that Keith was never going to show up. The little boy had said that he would, and he even had a signed permission slip from his guardian. But he had also said that he would just be dropped off and picked up, and perhaps his foster parent had just thought that the party might be too much of a hassle. But the young woman's worries were quieted when she heard a car door shut, followed by the faint sound of a doorbell.

She all but ran back inside her father's house, and it was only a minute or two later that Allura came back out, leading Keith by the hand. In his other hand he gripped the red lion tightly, using that encumbered hand to wave to his friends when they noticed him. Allura let Keith go play with them, returning to Shiros' side. She looked absolutely relieved.

"If we're being honest," she muttered so that no one else could hear, "I wasn't actually sure if he was going to come."

He nodded, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Allura, we all really appreciate everything you've done. Not just today, either. You've absolutely changed everything, and not just for me – look at how much they all like each other." He gestured to the children, all of whom were engaging in a make-pretend intergalactic space battle. Watching the scene, Allura's face softened into a light smile; she glanced back up at Shiro, then let out a long sigh.

"I'm glad. Honestly, I was worried that I was never going to get the hang of this teaching thing. But you've all made it so easy for me."

Absentmindedly, he pressed his lips against the top of her head, freezing when he noticed Mrs. Garret giving the two a very knowing look. She smiled to herself, not saying anything, just preparing herself and her husband a plate of food. Allura had obviously seen Hunk's mother watching them, too, but she just laughed at Shiro's expression. "I wouldn't worry about it," she assured him. After all, her father knew about them, and he didn't seem to mind. And Katie was alright with it. Truly, those were the only people that actually mattered.

The group ate at around the same time, the children gabbing excitedly to each other as they nibbled on carrots and pretzels and potato chips. They hadn't been too excited about the vegetables, but when Lance had voluntarily ate some, they all followed suit. And Mr. Garret brought them all a hamburger, careful to make sure that none of them had any food allergies or dietary restrictions.

The adults were all gathered at the same table, all of them wanting to ask about Takashi and Allura's relationship but careful enough to refrain from doing so. Even Mrs. Garret, who was practically buzzing with curiosity as she ate her pasta salad, kept herself from asking. It was Katie who mentioned it, Lance who relayed the information, and Allura and Takashi that suffered from the embarrassment.

It wasn't that bad, honestly. Everyone was quite happy for him; and Alfor, who had decided to join the party (but stuck to eating just the vegetables), joked that as long as Takashi could keep himself from breaking Allura's heart, they'd have no problem at all. Pleasantly, Shiro responded that he'd never dream of doing so. He thought much too highly of Allura.

All had been going well, and lunch was about over. Allura had stood to begin clearing hers and Takashi's places, assuring the man that he didn't have to get up. But Mr. McClain's sudden movement to look worriedly at his wife paused the moment.

The young woman's face was scrunched up in pain, alerting her husband that something was wrong. Mrs. McClain was not the type of person to panic, however, and she kept her breathing to as steady of a pace as possible. Her hand resting against her stomach, she managed a short, "I think she's coming." She was careful not to make any sudden movements so that the children weren't alarmed, but her husband was not so calm. He jumped to his feet, wildly looking around for his car keys. "Where did I put those-" he nearly screeched, and his reaction made the rest of the adults flinch.

Mrs. Garret recovered the quickest, standing and rummaging around in her purse for her keys. She retrieved the bundle of keys and fuzzy keychains, thrusting them at her husband. "Take the van, dear." Her voice was even despite the tenseness of the situation, and her composure helped Mr. Garret to act in kind. He held them in his hand, motioning for Mr. McClain to help the laboring woman to her feet. She gasped at the movement, leaning heavily against her husband, but powered through the pain, shuffling across the backyard.

Alfor led them through the doorway, opening all the doors for them in order to save time. And Takashi – he felt absolutely useless. He hadn't moved much more than a few flinches, but neither had Allura. The teacher stood motionless, eyes wide. She certainly hadn't been expecting that, and the young woman had always prided herself on how easily she moved in intense situations. But, finally catching her own stride, she took in a deep breath, following her father.

Still sitting at the children's table, Lance looked absolutely devastated, and for very good reason – his mother seemed to be in a lot of pain, and then she and his dad had just run out of the backyard without even looking back at him. But his feelings of abandonment subsided when a very pregnant and heavily-breathing Mrs. McClain shuffled back into the backyard. She had broken away from the men in order to find her son. Lance ran up to his mother, grateful when the woman ran a hand through his hair.

"Everything's gonna be just fine, sweetie," she told him, slowly leaning down to press a soft kiss against the top of his head. "Daddy and I are just going to the hospital so we can have the baby, okay?" When her son nodded, she smiled, brushing his hair away from his face again. "You are just my brave little boy, aren't you?"

Allura ran back outside, joining Mrs. McClain. "I can take him to the hospital for you, if it's alright," she offered, putting her arms around the older woman's shoulder. Lance's mother nodded, patting Allura's arm.

"Thank you so much-" she agreed, reverting back to her heavy breathing. "Charles!" she called; and as if he were programmed to respond to his wife's call, Mr. McClain hurried back into the backyard, helping her to the Garret's van.

Takashi blinked. Charles? Huh.

Allura finally stopped beside Takashi, letting out a long breath. She looked up at him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Well, I felt like an idiot," she told him, snorting lightly when he nodded.

"At least you did better than I did."

The children were watching the two, and Lance was shuffling on his feet. He looked rather upset, his eyes wide and teary, and the little boy clutched his blue lion against his chest. Stepping away from Shiro, Allura knelt down, offering a small smile. "Alright, so I promised your mom that I'd take you to the hospital, okay?" She glanced over at Hunk. "And…since your parents are with them, I'm assuming that I can take you, too." The child in question nodded seriously, as if he were a little soldier given a task. "Keith, I'm going to call your…" she trailed off, knowing that he didn't like to call his foster parent an actual parent. So she stopped her thought there.

Takashi glanced over at Katie, then back at Allura. "Should we head home, or did you want us to come with you? I mean, does your car even have room for that-"

She nodded, trying to put him at ease. "I'll take my father's car. Alright, you watch the children, and I'm going to go make a phone call." She excused herself, grabbing her cell phone, dialing a number, and putting it to her ear.

Allura talked for a few minutes, and Takashi sat beside the children. "I know things got a little crazy there, but you're gonna have a new…sister, Lance?" he asked, and Lance inclined his head in agreement. "That's really exciting, I bet you're looking forward to it." He smiled, clapping the young boy on the shoulder. When he heard Allura returning, Takashi pushed himself off the ground, giving her an inquisitive look.

"Alright, so we're going to drop Keith off at his house first, and then the rest of us can head to the hospital," she explained in an even tone. "So, do we all have everything?" she asked, watching in approval as Katie and Hunk both zipped up their backpacks. Lance and Keith hadn't brought any, but they had their stuffed lions. Clapping her hands together, Allura smiled. "Alright, then, let's get going."

Her father's car, which she failed to mention to Shiro, was a large Cadillac. The young man practically had to look up at it, and he glanced at Allura worriedly. "How often have you driven this thing?"

"The monster, you mean? A few times."

"Are you…comfortable with it?" he hesitantly asked.

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be driving four little children in it. Have some faith in me, Shiro," she suggested, unlocking the doors. She opened the backseat, offering a hand to Hunk. "Up and in." After hoisting the children into the car, Allura closed the door. Yes, she was definitely nervous that there weren't any booster seats in the car, but she determined to herself that she'd drive as carefully and slowly as the law allowed. She trusted herself as a driver, and this was really the only option they had to transport all the children without having to wait at her father's house for hours on end.

Alfor was watching from his home's doorway, smiling at the humor of such a tiny woman like Allura to be driving the Cadillac. His daughter noticed his observing, and she crossed the driveway to kiss his cheek. "Thank you so much for everything, father," she muttered, hugging him. He returned the movement, then let his hands rest on her shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you," he told her, leaving out a direct context. Was he proud of her for her party planning? For her resourcefulness? Or just in general. The answer to everything, of course, was _yes._

Allura smiled, a bit flustered by her father's compliment. But she pulled away, waving as she pulled herself into the driver's seat. The older man did feel a bit of sympathy for Takashi. He looked just a bit nervous sitting beside Allura. But she was a good driver, and she performed even better under pressure. They'd be fine. The car pulled out of the driveway, and once it was out of sight, Alfor sighed heavily, going to call Coran to help him clean up his backyard.

The ride to the hospital was relatively easy. Allura, much to Shiro's surprise (though he'd never admit it), was an absolutely fantastic driver. And although they made it to Keith's house in hardly any time at all, she was still extremely careful, even looking for cars on a _sidewalk_ when she helped Keith down.

The little boy gave his temporary farewell to his friends, following his teacher to his house. To Allura's relief, it wasn't that bad. The neighborhood was a little underdeveloped, but the home seemed to be standing unburdened. The young woman rang the doorbell, waiting patiently by her student's side. He didn't seem to be nervous, just a little disappointed.

Allura could hear a sort of ambling noise of someone coming to the door, and the man that answered was incredibly large, perhaps even moreso than Alfor. Allura tried to seem nonchalant, but she was certain that her eyes widened at the hulking figure. Even so, she cleared her throat, extending her hand and a warm smile. "Hello! I'm Miss Allura, I don't think we've actually met. Anyway, thank you so much for letting Keith come over today, I hope he had a lot of fun."

"I did," the child quietly interjected.

The man gave Allura an appraising look before nodding and opening the door wider so that Keith could walk in. Keith looked up at Allura, pausing before wrapping his arms around her legs. She made a noise of surprise, but her expression quickly softened to one of extreme fondness. Allura rested a hand against the top of his head, definitely sad to see him go. "I'll see you later, then," she muttered, ushering him inside. He glanced back at her before running into the home. The man in the doorway didn't extend any other formalities to Allura, just closed the door in front of the teacher's face.

She blinked, immediately irate, but decided against causing a scene. Allura stood in front of the door for a few moments, trying to recapture her composure. She was certain that Shiro had seen the display, and she didn't want to talk about it at all. The young woman could only hope that, no matter what kind of man just shut the door was, he'd give Keith a chance at a very good life. The child was smart, observant, and kind – he had no sense of humor, of course, but he was still _humorous_. Keith couldn't make a joke, not like Lance could, and he hardly picked up on them – but he gave good one-liners for a four year-old.

Shaking those thoughts aside, and trying to stifle the other ones that surfaced in her mind, Allura rejoined Takashi in the car, letting herself have one long sigh before putting the car into 'drive' and going to the hospital.

Mr. Garret was waiting in the lobby for the group to appear. As soon as he saw his son, he lifted Hunk into his arms, kissing the little boy's cheek. Katie stuck to Shiro's side, and Lance was practically vibrating with excitement. Allura greeted Hunk's father and asked about Mrs. McClain.

The older man laughed easily, bouncing Hunk just a little bit. "That little girl sure was ready to be here," he joked; and when he smiled, Allura noticed that the wrinkles around his eyes folded together. It was a nice look – the kind of look that happy aging brought to someone.

"Can I go?" Lance asked hurriedly, pulling gently on Mr. Garret's pant leg.

"You know what, little man? Let's go find a nurse, and we'll get you in there."

Of course, it wasn't hard at all to locate a hospital worker. And she had been more than happy to let Lance in to see his mother. Watching from the doorway, Takashi had to commend Mrs. McClain – she looked tired, but she had obviously managed to push the baby out easily enough. She was more than happy to see her son; and when the nurse was conscientious enough to bring in the baby, Lance's mother held the newborn while the older child greeted her.

Mr. McClain had been standing off to the side. He still looked incredibly nervous, but his face relaxed into a light smile when he saw his children interacting with each other. Already, Lance was incredibly gentle, running a finger lightly across his little sister's soft arm. He broke into a grin, looking back up at his mom. "I like her!"

"I hope so, she took long enough to get here," Mrs. McClain laughed, pecking her son on the cheek.

Takashi couldn't help but smile as he watched the scene. This family – they were so happy, so peaceful. And when he glanced over at the Garrets, noticing the way Hunk's mother ruffled her son's hair while his father held him. The little boy giggled, glad for the attention. And, Shiro almost felt bad for how little Katie had that. She had lost her parents and brother; and all she had was a close family friend to take care of her. She lived in this tiny little apartment now, subsisted on Pop-Tarts, and had to take a bus everywhere.

But he felt a tiny hand grasp his.

Katie was looking up at him, smiling lightly. She squeezed his hand, and he could've sworn that his heart constricted a little. "Love you, Shiro," she muttered.

He nodded, taking a few moments to compose himself before responding with a still-tight, "I love you, too, Katie."

Pleased, Katie released his hand, joining Hunk when his father let him down. The two found a few chairs to sit in, talking excitedly about lance's new baby sister. Takashi didn't have to stand by himself for any considerable length of time, because Allura put her hand on Takashi's shoulder. "She's not the only one," the young woman whispered, blue eyes gazing into his. She hadn't directly said the words, but she had left the subject open for his discretion.

He didn't have to think the matter over, though, because Takashi turned her to face him, tilting her chin up. "I think I'm going to start sounding like a broken record pretty soon, but I love you, Allura."

She leaned up to kiss him, and he wrapped his arm loosely around her waist, letting her go after a few moments. Their moment was broken by several pairs of eyes staring at them, and Allura laughed, turning to the side. "If you're a record, then it's my favorite song."

 **A.N.: Holy smokes, cheesy one-liners! Anyway, I'm super sorry that I haven't updated in way over a month – I've had some crazy long papers due in the past few weeks, but the semester's almost over, yay! I hope everyone else's school/work has been going well! Hopefully a longer chapter helps make up for my lack of activity.**

 **I picked the title for this chapter from a quote from John Herschel – "The barrier has begun to yield." Thanks, everyone, for all your support – I appreciate everyone's support so much, and I hope you guys enjoy this and look forward to more!**


	11. Whole and Complete in Itself

***2 Years Later***

"Katie, it's time to get going—" Takashi called, waiting patiently at the door for the young girl. Glancing down at his watch, he frowned at the time and hoped that they still had enough time to make their appointment. The patter of tiny feet filled the air, and he could see Katie scrambling in the hallway to pull on her tennis shoes. Despite the lack of time, Takashi couldn't help but pause to smile.

Katie looked especially adorable today, dressed in a light green alien-print sweater matched with a pair of star-covered black leggings. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, a few stray strands purposefully framing her face. Of course, Katie's large glasses were somewhat askew on her face, but she didn't seem to mind, just ran up to Takashi. "I'm ready, Shiro!" she breathed, a bit out of breath.

He nodded, still shooting a nervous look toward the hallway. He didn't want to be pushy, but—

"Allura, we're going to be late!"

"I'm coming!" A disembodied voice yelled back, but Allura soon emerged from the bedroom, struggling to slip her heels onto her feet. She was as scrapped for time as Katie had been, and her hurried actions even matched the little girl. Once her shoes were snugly fitted, Allura stood up and began to fiddle with her earrings; she fastened the hoops, smoothed her hair down, and glanced back up at Takashi. "Me, too," she smiled, walking toward him, the click of her shoes popping against the wooden floor.

"Good, good," he laughed lightly, almost sorry that he had been so worried. Allura looked stunning—she deserved all the prep time in the world that she wanted. And Katie was quite the stunner, as well, Takashi idly thought to himself. He opened the door, letting Katie walk out first, then made sure to peck Allura's cheek before she scurried past. "You look beautiful," he muttered in her ear and grinned when she playfully rolled her eyes.

"Well, I _am_ trying to impress."

He couldn't imagine that she wouldn't.

As they walked to Allura's car and Takashi helped Katie into her car seat, he began to think about how much had changed in such a short amount of time. Not only was Katie older; she was also taller, more confident, and far more outgoing—this was a particularly advantageous thing, as her class had grown in the past few years, and she seemed to get along with them almost as well as her core group of friends. Lance, Hunk, and Keith were still her very best friends, but Katie's world had grown large enough to encompass a few more persons.

Although the children had grown out of Allura's preschool, they remained in the district and under the direct care of Alfor, who took such a great amount of interest in the well-being of every student. He and Coran (and Shiro, of course), regularly gave Allura updates about the children, even as she continued to teach her own classes. As much as she loved all her students, Allura couldn't help but be partial to her first group of kids, the ones who allowed her to test out her teaching style, and the ones who gave her absolutely no problems.

The first grade had originally been an intimidating concept for Katie. She was unsure of how well she was going to perform, but Lance had been the child to run headfirst into the new class. He had settled in well with his grade, and his home life seemed to change and grow, as well. He was an absolutely excellent big brother, an encouraging fact, as his mother was now six months along with another little one, and Lance was more than happy to see another family member.

Hunk had been timid, especially when he realized that his parents couldn't walk him into his classroom every morning. Yet they were present every day before and right after school, and his mother always pulled her little boy in for a quick peck to the forehead, and his father never failed to ruffle his son's dark hair. Hunk's trepidation soon turned into excitement, and he quickly became the first of his friends to race into the classroom each morning. Whenever Takashi stopped by Allura's classroom in the morning and subsequently dropped by Katie's first grade class, the little boy excitedly waved, clearly happy to be with his friends.

For a while, Keith had been a bit of a different story. The quiet child remained quiet, making it through kindergarten with the support of his friends. He didn't see much of Allura or Takashi during this time, and it was only with Alfor's updates on the child's wellbeing that either adult knew how Keith was doing. His kindergarten teacher worried, of course, that he wouldn't thrive in a potentially stressful environment with an even larger class, but he was undoubtedly a smart child whose abilities more than warranted moving forward in school.

The dark-haired child, through no fault of his own, seemed to become far more reserved as his kindergarten year continued, though. Even with his best friends, he was standoffish and even rude. He wasn't unteachable or too unruly by any means, but he did appear to be a far different child than the one that had been in Allura's preschool class. Coran had been more than happy to meet with Keith in private meetings, with and without his foster parent, to see if there was a solution for the problem.

The root of it, unfortunately, was that Keith wasn't thriving well in his home. His living conditions were not bad, neither were they especially conducive for a young boy. The relationship between Keith and his foster father was strained, at best. An outsider's perspective showed that the young boy was largely unwatched and ignored. To Coran, at least, it seemed as if the other man cared very little for the clearly-struggling child. The ginger-haired gentleman could couldn't do much to help the situation, but he could mention his observations to Alfor, who was more than willing to wait for any other problem signals before contacting the child protection services office.

For a long while, Keith seemed to be the one primarily suffering from the investigation, but it was important for everyone involved to keep in mind that helping Keith was so worth the trouble. In this instance, Alfor did not mention what was going on to his daughter until he learned that Keith was definitely going to be moved from his foster parent to another.

The young woman had been upset, of course, and incredibly worried, but she wasn't without her faculties. Realistically, Allura knew that this was the best possible outcome for Keith—he had a chance to succeed in a loving family.

One look at her fiancé Takashi, though, and Allura knew; Keith still needed a loving family.

And maybe they should be that for him.

The process was not at all easy, especially when the couple was in the process of moving into a larger house. And the June wedding's schedule hadn't been especially forgiving of the adoption process. But Allura color-coded every note and list, and Takashi kept a steady mind and hand around the home. Katie, naturally, was excited at the prospect of one of her friends getting to move in with her family, but she was keenly aware that all this work that Allura and Shiro put into all the paperwork and meetings may not actually pay off.

The thought was sobering for all three of them—Allura had grown so fond of Keith, had become so accustomed to wholeheartedly loving the boy, that she couldn't possibly imagine letting him down in such a way. Takashi felt similarly; he knew what it was like to lose a lot, to feel scared and confused and without a steady foundation, and he wanted to spare Keith the terror of having to figure everything out by himself.

After all, he had managed to build a family out of himself and Katie (and then Allura). He wanted to help Keith in the exact same way.

Reassuringly, the little boy similarly enjoyed Katie, and he truly cared about Takashi and Allura. When asked, he was happy—even ecstatic (if Keith ever were)—at the idea of living with the makeshift family.

And he wanted to.

And eventually, months later, it was approved.

The drive felt impossibly long, and Takashi could tell that Allura was nervous; at every stoplight, she tapped her hands against the wheel, and she sighed in frustration every time someone slowed down in front of her. Katie seemed far less concerned, as she just watched the buildings and cars appear to fly past her. Takashi himself was unsure of how he felt—he was nervous (so nervous) but also terribly excited. He was every emotion that could be felt, and more.

After they parked, Allura let out a long, thin breath. She closed her eyes for a few moments, then eventually looked over at Shiro. "We can do this," she whispered, blue eyes swimming with visible worry.

Reaching over, Takashi put his hand onto her arm; with his touch, he tried to give her all the calm that he didn't even possess. The young man smiled lightly, steadying his gaze. "Of course we can."

Katie kicked her legs impatiently. "Can we go now?"

Shiro laughed, nodding; he opened his door, going to unbuckle Katie. As he stepped out, he took looked over at the building, greedily drinking in the sight. In the car was his present—his amazingly talented and perfect Katie, and his beautiful and breathtaking wife Allura. In the building, less than a hundred feet away, was his future, the promise of a larger, even more perfect family.

In a few moments, his whole world would somehow be contained in just one small building. And yet, his whole world felt so impossibly large, so bright, and so complete.

Takashi helped Katie out, then circled the car to open the door for Allura. He breathed in, relaxed his shoulders, and took the first step toward his perfect future.

 **A.N.: And it's done! I'm so sorry that I waited this long just to put up an epilogue, but here it is! I know absolutely nothing about legal or child services, so I apologize for all the errors in this—I just wanted to be able to wrap Keith's story into the Shallura family. I got the title of this from Milton Munitz—"In the first place we must observe that the Universe is spherical. This is either because that figure is the most perfect, as not being articulated but whole and complete in itself…"**

 **I would just like to thank everyone so much for all the support I've gotten for this story! I know it's frustrating to keep up with a story that doesn't update, but everyone has been so kind and supportive of this! I truly appreciate all the kind words given for this—thank you, and I hope you enjoyed!**


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